The Demise of DEI
By Dirk Gibson
The late great Dale Earnhardt would be mighty unhappy if he could see what has happened to his dream team. The recent announcement that the number eight car will be parked for a lack of sponsorship is nothing less than a total shame.
The story is well known by now. Dale Earnhardt set up his DEI team for the purpose of creating a racing platform for his family and specifically for his kids to follow him as drivers. At the time of his untimely death, the team appeared to be on solid ground. The subsequent success of Junior in the number eight car was more than enough to stoke the interest of fans. To this end, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., became the most popular racing car driver in NASCAR.
Then it all started going wrong.
Junior found relative success in his first few years at DEI. And then he did not. What exactly went wrong is still difficult to say. Most people sided with the most popular driver, Junior, and voiced the opinion that the equipment that was being given to the drivers was no longer sufficient to compete for wins week in and week out much less championships. Others took the opposite tack, and suggested that perhaps the drivers simply were not good enough to win championships. As we were to find out subsequently, perhaps both arguments were true.
The inevitable split of Teresa Earnhardt and Junior was a tough one in the sport. The team that Dale Earnhardt set up for his children no longer had any children with the Earnhardt name driving. Many predicted that the team would fall on hard times and suggested Teresa Earnhardt had made a major error in not working out something with Dale Earnhardt Jr. The recent announcement that the number eight car will be sidelined for a lack of sponsorship appears to be the final nail in the coffin for DEI - a fruition of that decision. It is a sad day indeed.
It should be noted that Junior hasn't exactly bloomed at Hendrick racing. Hendrick Motor Racing is generally considered to have the best equipment in the championship. While teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon are clearly two of the top drivers in NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s results have been nothing less than disappointing. Despite his immense popularity, it is becoming harder and harder to overlook the fact that his finishes are nowhere near as competitive as his esteemed teammates.
At the end of the day, it is hard to find any winners in this situation. Dale Earnhardt's vision of having a team for his kids to drive has failed. Teresa Earnhardt has been left with no team. Junio has found no success at Hendrick to speak of. All in all, everything probably would have worked out much better if Junior had simply stayed at DEI and Teresa Earnhardt had given in a bit when it came to ownership issues. Obviously, it is far too late for that now. How sad.
Dirk Gibson is with DCJAutoParts.com - your online home for aftermarket car parts 24/7.
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