DEI still has racer named Earnhardt
Three days before Dale Earnhardt Jr. made headlines Thursday by announcing he's leaving the family business at the end of the season, Jeffrey Earnhardt, the 17-year-old grandson of the late seven-time NASCAR champion, Dale Sr., arrived at New Hampshire International Speedway to take part in a Busch East Series test session.
By week's end, the third-generation Earnhardt was the last remaining link driving for his grandfather's team, Dale Earnhardt Inc. When asked in February what DEI would be without Dale Jr., Tony Stewart replied, "A museum."
After Dale Jr.'s blockbuster decision to part ways with the team his father and stepmother, Teresa, built, Jeffrey -- Junior's nephew -- doesn't intend to become a museum night watchman any time soon. He stands as the only Earnhardt in DEI's pipeline.
Yet he's not even old enough to vote or rent a car, and, by the looks of the pencil-thin mustache he wore at NHIS, barely old enough to shave.
"If I was to choose anybody, I'd want to be with DEI," Jeffrey said Monday after concluding his NHIS test, which was supervised by his father, Kerry. "That's where I look to spend my future. I think it's going to be great and I'm really looking forward to the next few years I've got signed with 'em at DEI."
Kerry Earnhardt, though, does not want to put his son on the fast track. Not just yet. He is content to have Jeffrey gain valuable seat time in DEI-provided cars fielded by Andy Santerre Motorsports, where Earnhardt will be paired with Sean Caisse of Pelham, N.H., this season.
"He's done pretty good and adapted really well to the new racetracks," Kerry Earnhardt said. "He comes in and picks it right up. Here, I kind of wondered about being at Loudon because I've run here myself and know how difficult it is to figure out the track. The first time out, he ran and kind of got a feel for everything. The second time out, he really picked it up and adapted to the track really quick."
Earnhardt, who attends Mooresville (N.C.) High, gave a glimpse of his potential when he finished sixth in the Busch East Series opener April 28 at Greenville-Pickens (S.C.) Speedway. "I knew the equipment was there, but I wasn't real sure about myself, but . . . I was surprised," Jeffrey said. "My main goal was to finish every lap and finish on the lead lap, and I turned out doing a lot better than that, so I was pretty pleased."
Just as surprising was the attention he generated among fans at Greenville-Pickens, where Caisse, who finished second, reported "seeing him get mobbed" by autograph-seekers. Was it a glimpse of the attention his uncle gets at the Nextel Cup level?
"It's tough, but the fans are the biggest part of racing," Jeffrey said. "You got to make the fans happy. Fans are everything, so that's what it's all about. It just took me a little bit by surprise. I didn't think it would be that big."
As for carrying on the Earnhardt name? "It's a little bit of pressure, because a lot of people look at you different," Jeffrey said. "But it's just a last name."
Although his brother opted to drive elsewhere, Kerry Earnhardt felt there was no better place for his son to begin his career than at DEI. Was there another team that came close to making Jeffrey a better offer?
"Well, there were about five of 'em out there trying to get him," Kerry said. "DEI is what he chose to be with; he could've went with [Richard] Childress, [Rick] Hendrick, Dale Jr.'s [team], but we just let him pick. He said he wanted to drive for the team his grandfather built, and that's what made his decision to drive for DEI.
"It's pretty awesome, because I knew he had it in him growing up, because you could see he was really interested in racing."
Asked about his reaction to Earnhardt's decision, which should trigger a bidding war for his services and the Budweiser sponsorship he brings to the table, Childress said, "Dale Jr. just made a major decision in his life yesterday, and out of respect for Teresa, Dale Jr., and this situation, let's all give him some time to make the decisions that he needs to make and be fair. He's got a lot of tough decisions coming up with the direction he's going."
Childress said he has not talked to Earnhardt, but added, "We will sit and talk, I'm sure. You know I'm hoping he's considering us, but I think right now we just need to give him some time and space to do his own due diligence on the race teams that he's looking at."
Even at Indy, Penske was unable to escape questions about Earnhardt.
"Well, I was interested to see that announcement, as we all were here this week," Penske said yesterday. "We saw something brewing over the last several weeks. I think it's a real asset that DEI has lost because he's a talented driver. Obviously, he's a driver that has a big future going forward."
Where that future is, however, remains to be seen.
"I read about Hendricks, I read about [Joe ] Gibbs, I read about Childress, a number of teams who might have interest. I think everybody has interest in Dale Earnhardt Jr. to join their team," Penske said. "You know, we're a Dodge team, we have drivers under contract today, and we're not in a situation that we would probably be in line to offer him a job. I mean, we'd sure like to talk with him. Just the comments that I read in the paper, he might know more than I do that he wants to be with Chevrolet when we have a contract with Dodge. And when we have contracts, as you know, we stay with them."
Michael Vega can be reached at vega@globe.com. Material from personal interviews, various sanctioning bodies, race teams, sponsors, and track publicity departments was used in this report.
