Which makes it all the
more interesting—why are the car numbers even the Team’s call-- and not NASCAR’s, which usually likes to
be involved with all things pertaining to marketing?
But given the “rules”
on this as they currently exist, Mark Martin recently stated that the number “6” was Jack Roush’s number—and
that was that, and it was so self evident that Roush would want to keep it that Martin did not even bring it up. So, if one
wants to have the rights to a number (any number, including eight), one needs to first own a Cup Team. Objectively, Teresa
does, Dale Jr. doesn’t. The number is hers to keep if she so chooses, period.
Nevertheless, it is also
generally acknowledged that there are some hard feelings involved, and Teresa has been deemed the villain by Earnhardt Nation.
Perhaps, perhaps not,
but the personal side of the Dale Jr. and Teresa story is an interesting one and in a country with one of the highest divorce
rates in the world, not an uncommon one.
It is well known that
Dale Earnhardt Sr. placed racing first in his life—and there were no close seconds--when Dale Jr. was growing up.
Eventually Dale Sr. married
Teresa, and started another family. And while Senior was in the limelight on the superspeedways, Junior was literally cutting
his knuckles on short tracks earning his right to be in the big-time.
It was fortunate that
Dale Sr. hired his son to drive for DEI, and fortunate that they shared driving duties in a Corvette at the Rolex 24 days
before Dale Sr.’s last Daytona 500. Clearly, Dale Jr. was receiving the approval of his Father, and enjoying every minute
of it.
It also needs to be noted
that Dale Sr. chose to bequeath DEI to his wife, Teresa, rather than his son, Dale Jr. Dale Sr. was a sharp businessman, and
that was a decision that he chose to make.
After Dale Sr. demise,
a strained relationship remained behind—and evolved. Initially, Dale Jr. was contractually driving for someone that
he had never been particularly close to, and felt fortunate to be doing so. As his own fame increased exponentially, as so
often happens in life, the tables turned, and Dale Jr. became the chief revenue drawing power for DEI.
2006 StockCar Review.
