DEI Hires Kerry Earnhardt
He (Kerry Earnhardt) will join Dale Earnhardt Inc. as a full-time employee next week, serving as a liaison between the Nextel Cup and Busch programs and driving in a handful of races.
"Teresa and Richie have been talking to me about coming there for several years," Kerry said of team owner/stepmother Teresa Earnhardt and director of motorsports Richie Gilmore. "I've been thinking about the company a lot in my head. It's hard to give up driving. Now I've come to a point where I realize that doing the things I'm doing is not doing me any good, just riding around and not having any decent finishes."
Kerry, the spitting image of his father, drove full time in the Craftsman Truck Series a year ago for ThorSports Racing. He was 22nd in points with no finish better than 11th.He drove in seven Nextel Cup races between 2000 and 2005 with no finish better than 17th. That came two years ago at Talladega for Richard Childress, who was his dad's car owner for six of seven titles. He has 68 starts in the Busch Series since 1998 with only three top-5s and six top-10s.
"I've got four kids, a baby 3½ years old," said Kerry, who has done most of the testing for DEI's Car of Tomorrow. "There have been several times when we've blown a right-front tire or got caught up in somebody else's accident and I've taken some pretty hard licks. I've started thinking more about my life than my career."
Kerry, 37, has asked to drive in at least five Busch races and a couple of Cup races for DEI, but said his future with the company doesn't hinge on that.
"I always wish I had the opportunity to be in equipment like this," said Kerry, who was 20th-fastest in the morning practice while Earnhardt Jr. honored previous commitments. "Now if I run three to five Busch races and can be successful with that maybe more things can come to me."
Kerry hopes to fill part of the role of Tony Eury Sr., who has moved from team liaison to crew chief for DEI's third Cup team with Paul Menard. He doesn't have a title and doesn't want one. "The ones with titles are the ones that get blamed for everything," he said.
Tony Eury Jr., the crew chief for Earnhardt Jr., is excited to have another Earnhardt around. "Just having an Earnhardt face walking around the shop that can talk to the guys will be a morale boost," he said. "He looks more like his daddy than any of them. And he has experience racing. If we tell him a problem he might get the message better to Teresa."...MORE...(ESPN)
He (Kerry Earnhardt) will join Dale Earnhardt Inc. as a full-time employee next week, serving as a liaison between the Nextel Cup and Busch programs and driving in a handful of races.
"Teresa and Richie have been talking to me about coming there for several years," Kerry said of team owner/stepmother Teresa Earnhardt and director of motorsports Richie Gilmore. "I've been thinking about the company a lot in my head. It's hard to give up driving. Now I've come to a point where I realize that doing the things I'm doing is not doing me any good, just riding around and not having any decent finishes."
Kerry, the spitting image of his father, drove full time in the Craftsman Truck Series a year ago for ThorSports Racing. He was 22nd in points with no finish better than 11th.He drove in seven Nextel Cup races between 2000 and 2005 with no finish better than 17th. That came two years ago at Talladega for Richard Childress, who was his dad's car owner for six of seven titles. He has 68 starts in the Busch Series since 1998 with only three top-5s and six top-10s.
"I've got four kids, a baby 3½ years old," said Kerry, who has done most of the testing for DEI's Car of Tomorrow. "There have been several times when we've blown a right-front tire or got caught up in somebody else's accident and I've taken some pretty hard licks. I've started thinking more about my life than my career."
Kerry, 37, has asked to drive in at least five Busch races and a couple of Cup races for DEI, but said his future with the company doesn't hinge on that.
"I always wish I had the opportunity to be in equipment like this," said Kerry, who was 20th-fastest in the morning practice while Earnhardt Jr. honored previous commitments. "Now if I run three to five Busch races and can be successful with that maybe more things can come to me."
Kerry hopes to fill part of the role of Tony Eury Sr., who has moved from team liaison to crew chief for DEI's third Cup team with Paul Menard. He doesn't have a title and doesn't want one. "The ones with titles are the ones that get blamed for everything," he said.
Tony Eury Jr., the crew chief for Earnhardt Jr., is excited to have another Earnhardt around. "Just having an Earnhardt face walking around the shop that can talk to the guys will be a morale boost," he said. "He looks more like his daddy than any of them. And he has experience racing. If we tell him a problem he might get the message better to Teresa."...MORE...(ESPN)
