FORT WORTH, Texas - With Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s sister and chief negotiator reiterating last week that the a new contract with Dale Earnhardt Inc. needs to be completed in the next 45 days, Dale Earnhardt Inc. President Max Siegel says that's a possibility.
"We've been working hard with the goal to meet that deadline," Siegel said Sunday before the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. "We have had really productive conversations. ... We are looking at every single issue in great detail."
Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, Earnhardt Jr.'s sister and business manager, said Tuesday that Earnhardt Jr. still wants majority ownership of the team and wants assurances that the team, founded by seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt and owned by his widow Teresa Earnhardt, will compete for a championship.
Earnhardt Elledge said the company run by her stepmother has not met its maximum potential in recent years. When asked about that analysis, Siegel said he is looking at things the company can do to make an immediate impact on the competition.
"We've got a great group of people," Siegel said. "We have a great foundation. We've been running pretty good. We can always do better.
"What we're doing is we're looking to see how we can improve every area of competition. We're addressing it right away. Things are happening to take it up a notch."
Siegel joined the company a little more than two months ago to oversee operations and has seen the negotiations progress.
"I've never given any thought or much thought at all to anything other than having a healthy, long-term relationship with those guys," he said. "What I feel now that is different than when I got there, as we build a relationship, I think Kelley and Dale would make really, really great partners.
"I think they have great ideas. They have passion and focus. I think Teresa's passion and focus sometimes either gets overlooked or is not highlighted. If we can figure out how to harness the focus, the passion and the commitment from the entire family, we'll lead the industry."
Having handled many negotiations in the music industry, Siegel is used to tense negotiations but not necessarily the fan/media interest of the Earnhardt negotiations.
"The biggest difference is that it is family," Siegel said. "Negotiations at any high level is very intense. And you've got a lot of competing interests. That's not unusual.
"Unfortunately, when you have a family of this status, people like to write about things that happen and transpire on a daily basis. It's a little more difficult to go through the process and maintain the privacy of everyone involved.
"For me, I don't get rattled or shaken or moved by how intense the discussions may be. I think that it's a good thing. We're having a healthy dialogue. We're working really, really hard to try to bring something together, and I look forward to a long future with those guys."
"We've been working hard with the goal to meet that deadline," Siegel said Sunday before the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. "We have had really productive conversations. ... We are looking at every single issue in great detail."
Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, Earnhardt Jr.'s sister and business manager, said Tuesday that Earnhardt Jr. still wants majority ownership of the team and wants assurances that the team, founded by seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt and owned by his widow Teresa Earnhardt, will compete for a championship.
Earnhardt Elledge said the company run by her stepmother has not met its maximum potential in recent years. When asked about that analysis, Siegel said he is looking at things the company can do to make an immediate impact on the competition.
"We've got a great group of people," Siegel said. "We have a great foundation. We've been running pretty good. We can always do better.
"What we're doing is we're looking to see how we can improve every area of competition. We're addressing it right away. Things are happening to take it up a notch."
Siegel joined the company a little more than two months ago to oversee operations and has seen the negotiations progress.
"I've never given any thought or much thought at all to anything other than having a healthy, long-term relationship with those guys," he said. "What I feel now that is different than when I got there, as we build a relationship, I think Kelley and Dale would make really, really great partners.
"I think they have great ideas. They have passion and focus. I think Teresa's passion and focus sometimes either gets overlooked or is not highlighted. If we can figure out how to harness the focus, the passion and the commitment from the entire family, we'll lead the industry."
Having handled many negotiations in the music industry, Siegel is used to tense negotiations but not necessarily the fan/media interest of the Earnhardt negotiations.
"The biggest difference is that it is family," Siegel said. "Negotiations at any high level is very intense. And you've got a lot of competing interests. That's not unusual.
"Unfortunately, when you have a family of this status, people like to write about things that happen and transpire on a daily basis. It's a little more difficult to go through the process and maintain the privacy of everyone involved.
"For me, I don't get rattled or shaken or moved by how intense the discussions may be. I think that it's a good thing. We're having a healthy dialogue. We're working really, really hard to try to bring something together, and I look forward to a long future with those guys."
