Why does Dale Earnhardt Jr. want controlling interest in DEI?
Money? He's a multi-millionaire from his endorsements alone and makes millions more racing in the Nextel Cup. Personal wealth isn't it. But maybe Earnhardt thinks the millions in sponsorship dollars flowing through DEI could be spent more wisely and effectively to elevate the team to the Hendricks, Gibbs, Childress and Roush level.
Clearly, DEI isn't there now, which brings us to the next question: Why not?
This is an organization that doesn't lack for funding, technical capability or a driver capable of winning the championship. Junior is magic behind the wheel.
So what's missing at DEI?
"The resources are all there," said a source with insider knowledge of what goes on behind the walls at DEI. "They have everything at DEI that Hendrick has. They need leadership. Nobody is running the deal. (Richard) Childress, (Joe) Gibbs, (Rick) Hendrick, (Jack) Roush -- they know how to make everybody work together, to fit the pieces together. They know how to make changes when they need to be made. That person doesn't exist at DEI."
(A brief digression: I don't like using unnamed sources, but journalists have to use them at times. If I revealed my source, it would cause problems for that person. You'll have to take my word that it's not some down-the-line source with an ax to grind.)
Can it really be just four seasons ago that Earnhardt won six races and was third in the championship? It's a distant memory from where the No. 8 is today. He has won only two races in his last 82 starts. Earnhardt did make the Chase and was fifth last year, a major bounce back from 19th and out of the Chase in 2005. That's better, but not good enough for the popular 8 car.
Earnhardt is running respectively this season, 15th in the points heading into Talledega this weekend, but he's without a victory. It has to be nagging at him, even though he doesn't show it Tony Stewart-style.
Earnhardt's competitive slide can be traced to 2004, when Ty Norris unexpectedly left DEI in January. Norris had a marketing and public relations background, but he was put in charge of DEI when Dale Earnhardt Sr. started the organization in 1996. Norris was Senior's representative at DEI and he learned well from somebody who knew everything about winning organizations.
Richie Gilmore, hired as DEI's engine builder in 1998, replaced Norris, who had overseen the work done in preparation for the successful 2004 campaign. At the start of 2005, Gilmore decided to move people around, including Tony Eury Sr. from Junior's crew chief to director of competition.
Eury Sr. had been Junior's only crew chief at DEI, winning two Busch championships and 15 Cup races. Pete Rondeau replaced Eury Sr. and, after 11 races, he was gone. Steve Hmiel, DEI's technical director since 1998 and former Cup crew chief, stepped in on an interim basis until the second race at New Hampshire, where Tony Eury Jr. took over.
For good measure, DEI switched the No. 8 and the No. 15 crews, too, which didn't do much for the morale of the No. 8 crew that had been a part of six wins the year before.
The two Juniors, who are first cousins, have been developing -- and, now, clicking -- in that all-important chemistry department. They're getting the most out of what's in the No. 8 Chevrolet.
Hmiel has gone back to being technical director and Gilmore remains vice president of competition.
But the problem is ...
"It's a Busch-championship winning team, which is what Dale Senior set it up to be in 1998," the source said. "It's not a Cup-championship team."
Teresa Earnhardt, Dale's widow and Dale Jr.'s stepmother, owns DEI and concentrates on the Dale Sr. brand, continuing his great legacy in commercial areas. She's good at it, too, but the competition side of DEI isn't a strength. Nor does she appear to have any consuming interest in it in the manner of a Hendrick or other top owners.
Hmiel and Gilmore run the racing. Their record of performance isn't what Earnhardt Jr. finds satisfactory. Junior knows changes need to be made. Nextel Cup becomes more competitive with each season and DEI isn't keeping pace in the technology department. It needs better race cars and more horsepower to keep up with the supreme teams.
"DEI has a wind tunnel program, but their engineers don't have the same input as engineers at the other top organizations," the source said. "It's still a good ol' boys style of doing things. Look at the Hendrick and Childress motor departments. They went out and hired guys from Cosworth."
Morale is not always good at DEI. "Every couple of weeks, there is turmoil," the source said.
Employees are fearful that Earnhardt Jr. -- the heart and soul of the organization -- might join another team next season. They understand the consequences, which aren't positive for DEI.
"The general consensus is Junior is leaving," the source said.
NASCAR and American sport lost a great race car driver and personality when Dale Sr. was killed in 2001. DEI lost much more than that, including the person that would today, having retired as a driver, be heading the organization with the same skill as Childress, Hendrick, Gibbs or Roush.
Why does Earnhardt Jr. want control of DEI? He wants to win races and championships there and understands that it takes more than a great driver and a good team. It's not impossible that Junior could win the championship this year, of course, but he sure needs to run better than he has since the start of 2005.
But most important to Earnhardt Jr. is the long-term prospects. New blood -- and new ideas -- in the organization are required for it to prosper.
Money? He's a multi-millionaire from his endorsements alone and makes millions more racing in the Nextel Cup. Personal wealth isn't it. But maybe Earnhardt thinks the millions in sponsorship dollars flowing through DEI could be spent more wisely and effectively to elevate the team to the Hendricks, Gibbs, Childress and Roush level.
Clearly, DEI isn't there now, which brings us to the next question: Why not?
This is an organization that doesn't lack for funding, technical capability or a driver capable of winning the championship. Junior is magic behind the wheel.
So what's missing at DEI?
"The resources are all there," said a source with insider knowledge of what goes on behind the walls at DEI. "They have everything at DEI that Hendrick has. They need leadership. Nobody is running the deal. (Richard) Childress, (Joe) Gibbs, (Rick) Hendrick, (Jack) Roush -- they know how to make everybody work together, to fit the pieces together. They know how to make changes when they need to be made. That person doesn't exist at DEI."
(A brief digression: I don't like using unnamed sources, but journalists have to use them at times. If I revealed my source, it would cause problems for that person. You'll have to take my word that it's not some down-the-line source with an ax to grind.)
Can it really be just four seasons ago that Earnhardt won six races and was third in the championship? It's a distant memory from where the No. 8 is today. He has won only two races in his last 82 starts. Earnhardt did make the Chase and was fifth last year, a major bounce back from 19th and out of the Chase in 2005. That's better, but not good enough for the popular 8 car.
Earnhardt is running respectively this season, 15th in the points heading into Talledega this weekend, but he's without a victory. It has to be nagging at him, even though he doesn't show it Tony Stewart-style.
Earnhardt's competitive slide can be traced to 2004, when Ty Norris unexpectedly left DEI in January. Norris had a marketing and public relations background, but he was put in charge of DEI when Dale Earnhardt Sr. started the organization in 1996. Norris was Senior's representative at DEI and he learned well from somebody who knew everything about winning organizations.
Richie Gilmore, hired as DEI's engine builder in 1998, replaced Norris, who had overseen the work done in preparation for the successful 2004 campaign. At the start of 2005, Gilmore decided to move people around, including Tony Eury Sr. from Junior's crew chief to director of competition.
Eury Sr. had been Junior's only crew chief at DEI, winning two Busch championships and 15 Cup races. Pete Rondeau replaced Eury Sr. and, after 11 races, he was gone. Steve Hmiel, DEI's technical director since 1998 and former Cup crew chief, stepped in on an interim basis until the second race at New Hampshire, where Tony Eury Jr. took over.
For good measure, DEI switched the No. 8 and the No. 15 crews, too, which didn't do much for the morale of the No. 8 crew that had been a part of six wins the year before.
The two Juniors, who are first cousins, have been developing -- and, now, clicking -- in that all-important chemistry department. They're getting the most out of what's in the No. 8 Chevrolet.
Hmiel has gone back to being technical director and Gilmore remains vice president of competition.
But the problem is ...
"It's a Busch-championship winning team, which is what Dale Senior set it up to be in 1998," the source said. "It's not a Cup-championship team."
Teresa Earnhardt, Dale's widow and Dale Jr.'s stepmother, owns DEI and concentrates on the Dale Sr. brand, continuing his great legacy in commercial areas. She's good at it, too, but the competition side of DEI isn't a strength. Nor does she appear to have any consuming interest in it in the manner of a Hendrick or other top owners.
Hmiel and Gilmore run the racing. Their record of performance isn't what Earnhardt Jr. finds satisfactory. Junior knows changes need to be made. Nextel Cup becomes more competitive with each season and DEI isn't keeping pace in the technology department. It needs better race cars and more horsepower to keep up with the supreme teams.
"DEI has a wind tunnel program, but their engineers don't have the same input as engineers at the other top organizations," the source said. "It's still a good ol' boys style of doing things. Look at the Hendrick and Childress motor departments. They went out and hired guys from Cosworth."
Morale is not always good at DEI. "Every couple of weeks, there is turmoil," the source said.
Employees are fearful that Earnhardt Jr. -- the heart and soul of the organization -- might join another team next season. They understand the consequences, which aren't positive for DEI.
"The general consensus is Junior is leaving," the source said.
NASCAR and American sport lost a great race car driver and personality when Dale Sr. was killed in 2001. DEI lost much more than that, including the person that would today, having retired as a driver, be heading the organization with the same skill as Childress, Hendrick, Gibbs or Roush.
Why does Earnhardt Jr. want control of DEI? He wants to win races and championships there and understands that it takes more than a great driver and a good team. It's not impossible that Junior could win the championship this year, of course, but he sure needs to run better than he has since the start of 2005.
But most important to Earnhardt Jr. is the long-term prospects. New blood -- and new ideas -- in the organization are required for it to prosper.
