Terese Earnhardt recently questioned Dale Earnhardt Jr's commitment.
Teresa Earnhardt, the widow of the late Dale Earnhardt, is the owner of Dale Earnhardt Inc, which obviously means that she is Dale Earnhardt Jr's boss. That would give her the right to question his commitment, right? Yes, to a certain extent.
Firstly, you don't call the high-profile employer out in public the way that Teresa did. She told the Wall Street Journal, "Right now the ball's in his court to decide on whether he wants to be a NASCAR driver or whether he wants to be a public personality." This comment was based on Earnhardt Jr's contract expiring after 2007.
If this comment was made after the 2005 season, I would totally agree with Teresa. Earnhardt Jr seemed less self-assured on the track, yet he was all over the place off the track. But Earnhardt Jr appeared to have a new-found sense of determination in 2006. As the season progressed, his performance on tracks that he once struggled, appeared to enhance.
He returned to the Nextel Cup Chase for the Championship with a two-car team. He won a race, and was competitive for the most part. That is why I question Teresa's motives. Is she trying to light a fire under Earnhardt Jr, or is she trying to isolate him? Because there are a lot of teams that would move mountains to get Earnhardt Jr on their turf. Richard Childress Racing comes to mind, as that was his father's place of employment for decades. Also, Joe Gibbs Racing, since Earnhardt Jr is close friends with Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin. And not to mention, he is a huge Washington Redskins fan.
But I would like to see this deal worked out, because Earnhardt Jr should one day be the man in charge of DEI.
