Published: May 18, 2007 09:25 am            

Q-ology 5-18-07

All in the Family no longer

After months of deliberation, negotiation and, apparently, hater-ation Dale Earnhardt Jr. will leave the team his father put together - Dale Earnhardt Incorporated - at the end of the season.

Junior had expressed to his step mother Teresa, who now runs DEI, that he wanted 51 percent ownership as part of his new deal.

The two never came close on that issue or any other for that matter, and now Junior is taking his name elsewhere.

The sweepstakes for the no. 8 car will begin soon, but will the team that gets the son of the Intimidator be allowed to use no. 8 on his car.

I know that Junior wants to win championships, and he says that it can’t happen if he stays with DEI. This statement after the decision to leave was made apparent, but I bet 51 percent ownership would have kept him regardless of an immanent championship.

Family is family. That is how I see it. How can an Earnhardt not race for Earnhardt Incorporated?

The racing gods have already expressed their discomfort with the situation as a week after announcing his defection at the end of the season Junior hit the wall.

No. Not the physical wall, but the proverbial wall in that stern suspensions have been slapped on the team of the no. 8.

NASCAR cited three separate infractions after the failure of the pre-race inspection.

Junior will lose 100 championship points taking him out of the top-12, which is where a driver now needs to be to get into the Chase.

The no. 8 was 12th before the suspension, but now sits at 14th just one point above Mark Martin who has only participated in eight races.

Ownership points being deducted will also be part of the NASCAR hammer coming down on teams that fail inspections, and Teresa will drop from 13th to 15th in the ownership standings.

Perhaps the biggest loss will be the suspension of the crew chief, but will it really?

Junior’s crew chief , Tony Eury Jr., will watch the next seven weeks from the comfort of home as he serves his suspension for the infractions.

He will have time to continue improvements on his cars, and will also get some much-needed rest before the stretch run toward the Chase. So, is it really going to hurt the no. 8? I think not. There is too much time left to make a major run.

As for the up-coming biding war for Junior - well, we know it can’t be Hendrick’s racing because they are maxed out and already have a pair of superstars on their roster with current points leader Jeff Gordon and points runner up Jimmy Johnson.

The best guess is the Richard Childress Racing will nab Junior because of Senior’s relationship, success with RCR. They also own the no. 3, and need a fourth member on their team.

Joe Gibbs, the coach of the Washington Redskins, racing could also make a run at Junior as they also need a fourth driver. He was seen wearing a Skins hat at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Monday.

It is possible that junior will run his own team, JR Motorsports, but that is the most unlikely of scenarios as his sister, who runs JRM, has said that there are no plans to expand. JRM runs a Busch Series team.

Dale Jr. Merchandise was thought to take a huge hit after the announcement of leaving DEI, but it has seen just the opposite as people race out to get the last of the Budweiser no. 8 memorabilia before the switch takes place.

The no. 8 may not be the no. 8 anymore, but Junior has expressed that he still wants to drive a Chevrolet. This may limit his options, but this free agent will be highly sought after.

It sounds funny to refer to a NASCAR driver as a free agent doesn’t it?

So, you be the judge. Should Junior be leaving DEI? Is he slapping his dad in the face?

I don’t know, but its no longer all in the Earnhardt family.

Stay classy Commonwealth.

        

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