If you’re a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan, or if you know one, you’ve most likely gotten an email or seen posts on message boards about an article that surfaced last week claiming that all traces of Jr.’s tenure at Dale Earnhardt Incorporated (DEI) have been eliminated from the company’s showroom. As you can imagine, this news did not set well with Jr.’s legions of fans, most of whom already think Teresa Earnhardt is the most evil woman on the face of the earth, and the cry quickly went out, calling for her head on a platter (or at least for everyone to stick their tongues out at her).

BUT, and this is a big but, which is why I typed it all big like that, how much truth is there to the story? Is it true that there’s no trace of Dale Jr. anywhere at DEI, save for a picture on the front of an instructional DVD available for sale in the gift shop? Is it true that Teresa is standing on the cat walk high atop the showroom, cackling with delight as she looks down and sees no likenesses of Dale Jr.? Or is it possible that some writer, wanting to get his newest article passed around a lot, simply put a bunch of BS on paper, knowing that people would take it as gospel?

In order to answer that question, I hit the Dale Trail and made the drive up Highway 3 to DEI headquarters to have a look around. (It should be noted that this trip required great personal sacrifice on my part, as DEI is at least twenty minutes away from my home.)

The lobby of this place is really cool; with a #3 Goodwrench Lumina parked dead center in front of a backdrop featuring a collage of DEI cars on a race track. Among the cars pictured is a red #8 Budweiser Monte Carlo piloted by Dale Earnhardt Jr., so it was already beginning to look like the story might have been a load of horse extract, but I figured I should investigate further, just in case that image was part of a conspiracy to simply make me think everything was fine.

I made a right turn and walked around the backdrop to find a very large glass wall, behind which I could see several race cars, including the one front dead center, which just happened to be the red and white #8 Budweiser Monte Carlo Dale Jr. drove to victory in the 2004 Daytona 500. Dang, I was only two minutes into the place and I’d already seen two instances of Dale Jr.’s past here; maybe the guy who wrote the article has problems with his eyesight?

There were several other cars of Jr’s parked behind that wall, including the #1 Coca-Cola car he drove in Japan a few years ago. Also present were cars driven by Michael Waltrip, including the 2001 Daytona 500 winner, and Steve Park’s winning car from North Carolina Speedway the week after the 2001 Daytona 500. It should be noted that there are no plaques explaining the significance of the cars on display; if you didn’t know your recent NASCAR history, you wouldn’t know which car was which.

I turned left to walk further into the showroom, and it was in this area that the true purpose of the place became apparent. (Its small size also became apparent; this showroom is not what you’d call spacious.)

Sure, there was a mention (complete with a car and photos) of Martin Truex Jr. and his 2005 NASCAR Busch Series championship. And sure, there was a car that had been driven by Paul Menard. And there was even a very small display dedicated to Mark Martin.

And no, there were no displays dedicated to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR Busch Series championships. And no, there were no photos or displays dedicated to Michael Waltrip or to Steve Park (DEI’s first driver).

But there were lots of displays dedicated to Dale Earnhardt, and that is the true purpose of this showroom; it’s a celebration of Dale’s life and the many accomplishments from throughout his career. There are a few of his Winston Cup trophies, his much pursued Daytona 500 trophy, race worn uniforms and lots of other memorabilia. If you’re an Earnhardt fan, this place is a must see, but see it after you’ve been to the museum at Richard Childress Racing.

I noticed, though, that there were several things missing from the displays. Where was Dale’s Rookie of the Year trophy? How about his first Winston Cup trophy? IROC trophies?

Ask a question to get an answer: because space is limited, and to keep the place fresh, displays are changed out on a regular basis, so the things I saw today probably won’t be on display the next time I go, but other gems will be.

Why aren’t Dale Jr.’s Busch championships featured? Because Martin Truex Jr. is the most recent champion from the DEI stables and his car occupies that spot.

There are no displays dedicated to Jr., Waltrip or Park because those guys are all former drivers for the team. Truthfully, there were only a couple non-Dale displays, with one being a large glass case dedicated to Truex and the earlier mentioned small case for Mark Martin. Menard is barely mentioned and Aric Almirola and Regan Smith are nonexistent.

In the gift shop, there was still ample evidence of Jr.’s time at DEI. There were no #8 Budweiser products for sale, but there were lots of other items, including some really cool die casts from his Busch series years. None of these things were marked down, or priced any lower than comparable merchandise from other drivers.

It’s all a matter of perspective, I suppose, but I saw no evidence of any attempt to “eliminate” Dale Jr. from DEI’s existence. He’s not openly celebrated, but I can’t see a reason why he should be: Sure, his name is Earnhardt, but he’s now a driver for a rival team. His place in the team’s history is made apparent through the display of his cars and I’m sure that if the company wanted to eliminate him, they could easily slide #3 Goodwrench cars in there and hide the Bud machines in the back.

Bottom line, if you visit the museum at Richard Childress Racing, don’t expect to see much mention of Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton or Clint Bowyer; they are featured, but Dale Earnhardt is the real show. Likewise, if you visit DEI, don’t expect to see much mention of drivers – past or present – other than Dale Earnhardt.

And whoever wrote that story and got all those fans of Dale Jr. worked up for nothing, you really should be ashamed of yourself.

To see the photos I took while at DEI, please Click here