Jr.'s Future
I promised that I would do a full article on different scenarios of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s future, then I realized that, to list them all, I would have to make an encyclopedia set. I tried to find out what seem to be the most popular theories and rumors, of course this is all speculation, he could just retire! (Relax Jr. fans, it's a joke.)
Let's begin with the one that has all Earnhardt fans (Sr. and Jr.) saying their bedtime prayers- Jr. leaves his fathers company to drive his fathers #3 for RCR. I guess the #1 question would be- is Richard Childress even willing to bring the #3 out of retirement? I think recent comments point towards no. Retiring the #3 was Richards tribute to Dale, it showed respect and I don't know if he will ever put it on the track again. Would Richard look at this as something Dale Sr. would have wanted? What about putting him in the #33? Is Richard even interested in Jr.? Is Jr. even interested? Only time will tell.
Another scenario that has Jr. fans drooling is that he will break away and start a Nextel team of his own. Although Jr. informed us that he is," just a millionaire", this is feasible, just highly unlikely. Jr. has the contacts and the sponsors to start a team, but does he have the time? Nextel Cup is a whole different story for a team owner. His other teams and commitments aside, what about his personal life? He already is stretching himself. If Jr. owned a Nextel team, would his driving begin to suffer? I believe, if he had the right people around him, he could do this, but they'd have to start now. Money could prove to be a problem, too, a new team, even with the name, isn't exactly a sure thing and sponsors may shy away. Would Jr. be willing to put a hell of a lot of money up in the beginning? Would others? Only time will tell.
Now to DEI. In the wishful thinking category, we have Jr. taking over at DEI, not going to happen. I have addressed this possibility before, I believe it's a bad idea and I don't think that's what Jr. really wants. Jr. really is DEI, though, (the company was built up around him) and he deserves to have a share of it. Does he want to take over? I doubt that. Does he want a fair share in ownership of a dynasty that his father always said would be his legacy to Jr.? Yes. This leads us to the "renewal zone". Will Theresa and Jr. be able to reach an agreement on a new contract? This is the one question that all the speculation hangs on. Unless Jr. announces other plans at the same time he answers this, the answer will either stop the rumors or create a thousand more. I voiced my reservations about the stability of DEI in Critical Condition, and, with the new CEO, I will have to re-evaluate them this year, but I wonder if it might be in Jr.'s best interest to get out while he can.
And- what about Budweiser? World wide, the most recognized active car is the #8 Budweiser car. We really have no idea what they're going to do. Will they stand behind their driver and the image they have created with him? Will they stand behind the company that made that image possible? So many questions, so little answers.
With so many factors that can affect the possible outcomes, we really cannot possibly guess the exact way it will end, but I, personally, think he will renew with DEI. Again, only time will tell.
I promised that I would do a full article on different scenarios of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s future, then I realized that, to list them all, I would have to make an encyclopedia set. I tried to find out what seem to be the most popular theories and rumors, of course this is all speculation, he could just retire! (Relax Jr. fans, it's a joke.)
Let's begin with the one that has all Earnhardt fans (Sr. and Jr.) saying their bedtime prayers- Jr. leaves his fathers company to drive his fathers #3 for RCR. I guess the #1 question would be- is Richard Childress even willing to bring the #3 out of retirement? I think recent comments point towards no. Retiring the #3 was Richards tribute to Dale, it showed respect and I don't know if he will ever put it on the track again. Would Richard look at this as something Dale Sr. would have wanted? What about putting him in the #33? Is Richard even interested in Jr.? Is Jr. even interested? Only time will tell.
Another scenario that has Jr. fans drooling is that he will break away and start a Nextel team of his own. Although Jr. informed us that he is," just a millionaire", this is feasible, just highly unlikely. Jr. has the contacts and the sponsors to start a team, but does he have the time? Nextel Cup is a whole different story for a team owner. His other teams and commitments aside, what about his personal life? He already is stretching himself. If Jr. owned a Nextel team, would his driving begin to suffer? I believe, if he had the right people around him, he could do this, but they'd have to start now. Money could prove to be a problem, too, a new team, even with the name, isn't exactly a sure thing and sponsors may shy away. Would Jr. be willing to put a hell of a lot of money up in the beginning? Would others? Only time will tell.
Now to DEI. In the wishful thinking category, we have Jr. taking over at DEI, not going to happen. I have addressed this possibility before, I believe it's a bad idea and I don't think that's what Jr. really wants. Jr. really is DEI, though, (the company was built up around him) and he deserves to have a share of it. Does he want to take over? I doubt that. Does he want a fair share in ownership of a dynasty that his father always said would be his legacy to Jr.? Yes. This leads us to the "renewal zone". Will Theresa and Jr. be able to reach an agreement on a new contract? This is the one question that all the speculation hangs on. Unless Jr. announces other plans at the same time he answers this, the answer will either stop the rumors or create a thousand more. I voiced my reservations about the stability of DEI in Critical Condition, and, with the new CEO, I will have to re-evaluate them this year, but I wonder if it might be in Jr.'s best interest to get out while he can.
And- what about Budweiser? World wide, the most recognized active car is the #8 Budweiser car. We really have no idea what they're going to do. Will they stand behind their driver and the image they have created with him? Will they stand behind the company that made that image possible? So many questions, so little answers.
With so many factors that can affect the possible outcomes, we really cannot possibly guess the exact way it will end, but I, personally, think he will renew with DEI. Again, only time will tell.
Update:
Dale Jr. has made a public statement that he will not re-sign with DEI unless he gets a 51% ownership of the company. I know he's good, but is he asking for too much? i'm not touching that with a 8 foot pole. Also, the best quote about the DEI situation came from an odd source- Tony Stewart. Tony is quoted as saying, "What's DEI without Dale Jr.? A museum." He's got a point. I only see this situation deteriorating as it goes on, now I'm starting to think this re-signing may not happen. For now the speculation continues. Stay tuned for further details as they become available. (This will become a popular phrase when it comes to Jr.)
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