Last week rumors spread around the garage that Teresa Earnhardt was going to sell the company that her husband, the late Dale Earnhardt, founded. She has recently denied these claims, but one has to wonder why she wouldn't. Dale Earnhardt Incorporated has quickly fallen from being one of the top-notch organizations in 2004 to it's mediocre status it holds today.
It was just four years ago that Dale Earnhardt Jr. won six races and just fell short of his first championship while driving for DEI. Back then it seemed as though the success would only continue, with Jr. earning a championship driving for his father's team.
However the collapse started in 2005, when DEI switched the crews for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip. Throughout the year both teams suffered before the teams were restored at the start of the Chase. Neither driver made the Chase, and in the first 26 races Earnhardt and Waltrip only had eight top-5's combined.
It was after that season that Michael Waltrip left DEI after only having three top-5's throughout the entire season, to make his own team, eventually with Toyota. Though certainly not the best driver on the circuit, Waltrip was still a vital part of DEI, as he is a sponsor's dream. When he left he took the big bucks with him.
In 2006 the team looked to be recovering, with the addition of Martin Truex Jr. in 1 car and Earnhardt reuinted with cousin Tony Eury Jr. as his crew chief. Though Earnhardt only won one race, he was consistent all year and made the Chase, while Truex had a mediocre rookie season. However 2007 would be another stutter for DEI that has lead to it's downfall.
Throughout the 2007 season engine troubles plagued the teams, as they had a combined 10 engine failures between them. In May Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced his departure from DEI, eventually signing with Hendrick Motorsports. DEI had lost the driver with the largest fanbase and, in turn, all the sponsorship and merchandise sales that he brought.
DEI then bought Ginn racing, aquiring the talented veteran Mark Martin. However besides him they only had Truex, who earned his only career victory early in the year, and the young drivers of Aric Almirola, Regan Smith and Paul Menard.
This year DEI has been plain and simply miserable, with the exception of Martin. Their young drivers of Smith, Almirola and Menard have for the most part struggled in their starts, with only one top-10 between the three drivers. Meanwhile Truex has also struggled, with only five top-10's throughout the season, leaving him 18th in points and unlikely to make the Chase.
On top of these woes Martin, who has carried this team, will be leaving to Hendrick Motorsports next year to take one more shot at a championship, while Truex is trying to leave the team at the end of the year, possibly to Stewart/Haas Racing. This leaves DEI with only Almirola, Smith and Menard.
With these inexperienced drivers combined with low-grade equipment, things are destined to only get worse for DEI, with it's downfall seemingly imminent.
Tyler'
The writing was on the wall from the moment Dale Jr decided to leave the team. Most knew that it was only a matter of time before the team would be sold or merged with another company altogether.
Theresa ran the company solely with the purpose of making money from the memorabilia and merchandizing side of the business. As to the competitive side of the business the team became none existent in all aspects of racing. So we oughtn't to be surprised by anything that's now taking place.
tophat. The writing was on the wall the day the writing was placed on the Late Great Dale Sr's headstone. Sr was what made DEI one of the top teams in NASCAR for so long. Because of his "intimidating" racing style, Most people forget he was one of the ambassadors of the sport off the track,good friends with the France's and one of leaders in keeping ahead of the curve on the changes in NASCAR..
When Dale died, so did DEI.
Junior leaving just accelerated the whole process a bit.
You mix sugar with cookies and cakes. Sugar in the gas tank of cars is not a good mixture. Trersa should have backed down from DEI and let Jr. run things.
Oh Tyler did you have to go and rehash the whole horrible history and Jr's struggles to try to fufill his father's dream unsuccessfully?! Sheesh, next thing ya know your going to start talking about him being burned in that wreck at Sonoma and traumatizing me more! LOL
I hope Teresa approaches Jr, Kelley, and/or Kerry before she goes and dumps it to the lowest bidder.
justanotherfan- Yes DEI's fate was written in stone, I personally didn't see it's collapse happening so rapidly though.
texascudaguy- Earnhardt also was a business parner with that Gordon guy all his fans hated, lol. I think DEI died when Teresa refused to give up the power to Jr.
photogr- sugar in the gas tank... is that what they were doing to Jr. last year? lol.
klvalus-
Alright, I'm gonna break this down... lol.
Speaking of Kerry why doesn't he ever get a ride? Give him a shot at it! I've seen him start like three races total, all on plate tracks. He has to do better than Menard at least, lol.
photogr (second time)- I remember watching a documentary on him on CMT one time, and he said that when he got out of the car and asked who pulled him out and everyone said that he got out by himself. Then he said he was convinced that his father had pulled him out of the fire. And I tend to think that he did.
BACKGROUND: DEI has been running all season without sponsorship since Mark Martin and Martin Truex, Jr. have left to Hendrick and Stewart-Haas, etc. Paul Menard has left to join Yates Racing. The 01 and 1 teams have been shut down. The 8 team has been sponsorless since Aric Almirola got off to starts of 38th and 40th at the first two races. (To add insult to injury, Joey Logano has already won a couple of races in his rookie year.) Teresa Earnhardt steps up to the podium.
Teresa Earnhardt: It is with sadness I am calling this press conference to announce that effective after the Coca-Cola 600, DEI will be closing its doors. I have been unable to find investors to keep the 01, 1, and 8 teams afloat for the season. Thank you for coming. Thank you for your support for all these years. I will miss you all. Good bye. (Teresa leaves through a side exit accompanied by a big burly security guard)
(Loud murmuring within the press room)
Suddenly someone stands up and asks the question everyone has in mind: WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?
Tyler
She may well have had a good head for running parts of the business side of things that entailed the memorabilia and merchandizing . But when it came to the competitive side of the business . She was clearly out of her depth.
So much so that the company has become a shell of what it once was !
It's indeed a sad indictment of the company and in particular to the name of Dale Earnhardt Sr.
Nonetheless it's probably best that things should end up this way. Rather than the company being completely ruined and unrecognizable.
DEI..is TEI..Do to RIP..thanks to her wallet getting in the way of the teams future. Now she is paying the hard price of losing what her Husband built with his bare hands. To not see Jr. being the head of DEI is a sad thing in Nascar. I am not an Earnhardt fan. Yet it is sad to not see things they were meant to be...Good post Tyler.
I did see all the stuff about him being pulled out of that car by his dad...I am just glad he got out. If I would have had hot passes that day I am sure I would have been the first one to the car! LOL
Tyler - great recap. DEI is falling off the cliff.
One thing though:
Kerry Earnhardt can't drive. Dale Sr. tried to help him out in ARCA and the "Busch" Series but he was then what Stephen Wallace is now w/o the speed.
Hello, I'm Tyler Head. I live in Utica, NY and currently attend Ilion Jr. Sr. High School. I'm a senior this year (woot! haha), and I'm persuing a career in Computer Hardware design, or Journalism... I guess I'm undecided, lol. I enjoy a lot of sports, with my favorite being NASCAR. My favorite driver is Jeff Gordon, I even made a fansite. As much as I enjoy NASCAR, I also like Baseball, Football, and College Basketball.
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hey had a combined 10 engine failures between them. In May Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced his departure from DEI, eventually signing with Hendrick Motorsports. DEI had lost the driver with the largest fanbase and, in turn, all the sponsorship and merchandise sales that he brought. 
