Richard Childress Eyes Earnhardt
Richard Childress Should Let Dale Earnhardt Jr Approach Him
Jan 15, 2007
For obvious reasons, Childress desires to one day put an Earnhardt back in one of his cars. In 2001, Childress lost his top driver and best friend in that tragic last lap accident at Daytona. And life in NASCAR was never same for Childress after Dale Earnhardt’s passing. He seemed to have lost his fortitude, his yearning to compete.
It wasn’t until 2006, when the Richard Childress Racing organization displayed signs that they could still compete with the upper echelon teams in NASCAR Nextel Cup. Kevin Harvick won five races and finished fourth in the Nextel Cup standings, while his veteran Jeff Burton won a race and finish seventh in the Nextel Cup standings. His rookie driver Clint Bowyer finished second to Denny Hamlin in the Rookie of the Year battle, and competed for several wins throughout the year. Bowyer and the 07 team have a mountain of impetus built up as they head into the 2007 season. I mention all of this because Childress has this team where they need to be. With the exception of Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Racing, there is not a team performing at a higher level, all the more reason to focus on the three drivers and teams that he has now instead of involving himself in the spat between Dale Jr and Teresa.
“If things don’t work out over there (at Dale Earnhardt Inc.) and he ever does leave, I hope he’ll come and talk to me first,” Childress said this past weekend.
And that is precisely how it should happen; let Earnhardt Jr approach him. NASCAR’s most fashionable driver has articulated interest in driving the black number 3 for Richard Childress Racing on several occasions. It’s apparent that if Earnhardt Jr does break ties with Dale Earnhardt Inc., Richard Childress Racing will be his preferred destination.
Teresa Earnhardt is not solely focused on the Dale Earnhardt Jr situation as it is reported that she has signed Jeff Earnhardt, the son of Kerry and grandson of Dale Earnhardt, to a driver development contract.
This could mean that the young Earnhardt may run in the NASCAR Busch East Series before moving up to the Busch Series. Jeff Earnhardt is only 17 years old, and was impressive during some previous GM tests. Is this Teresa’s way of preparing for life after Dale Earnhardt Jr?
I have noticed that a lot of people feel as if Dale Earnhardt Inc. will fall apart if Earnhardt Jr leaves after 2007. But Jeff Earnhardt has several things going for him. Not only is he an Earnhardt, but also he is young and marketable, and has the potential to become even more popular than Earnhardt Jr. So grabbing Jeff Earnhardt now is the smartest thing that Teresa could do, especially after the lapse in judgment in her Wall Street Journal interview.
Dale Earnhardt Inc. is obviously not big enough for two Earnhardts, add another one into the mix and it could get rather crowded.
