NASCAR - BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT AND GATORADE DUELS - DAYTONA SPEEDWEEKS FEBRUARY 2007 [Finally]

Nascar Race2Win Jayski ^ | 02-06-07 | Me, Jack and Junior

[WestCoastGal]

No wonder he was so fast there's only one M on the hood.

[SouthTexas]

Something there should be illegal, false advertising or the like.

[fideist]

Has the password changed for FRFL?

My son the Marine can't join -- it says the password is wrong.

[WestCoastGal]

Ending the DEI soap opera
By Marty Snider

Special to NBCSports.com
Posted: Feb.12, 2007, 9:20 am ESTGee! As predicted right here earlier this week guess what the number one topic of NASCAR media day this past week was. Car of tomorrow? Not quite. The new points system? Hardly. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and his contract situation? You bet. Who could let another day slip by without one more chapter in NASCAR's very own family soap opera?

You no doubt know by now that Junior has asked for, through the media, a majority ownership stake in DEI. The timing of the request was anything but coincidental. Wednesday Junior and his team, led by his sister Kelly, met with DEI officials. The next day just happened to be media day where Junior knew he would be asked a thousand times about his contract situation. What better time to lay your cards out there? Get it all out there in the open.

Some say that by making such a large demand in the public like this Junior has only fanned the flames and stoked the firestorm that surrounds his contract situation. My take is that Junior actually did the opposite.


Jon Ferrey /Allsport
Most Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans would like nothing better than to see him climb into his dad's # 3 car, but will this ever happen?He did everything he could at media day to make his demands publicly known and at the same time take steps toward making this media circus go away as much as possible so he could focus on racing.

It's like the old scene from the movie Clear and Present Danger. Junior really gave the media nowhere to go by simply telling the truth.

If you think about it, there's really nothing left to ask Junior. His story will not change between now and signing day. It's pretty simple: he wants majority control. So if you are in the Junior camp, I say this is a brilliant move.

In the art of tactful negotiations there is no doubt that Junior and his people now have the leverage over DEI. They have DEI on their heels, and they're winning the battle in the court of public opinion. All necessary elements to win the overall negotiation. So was this past Thursday's divulgence of Junior's desires planned?

Absolutely.

The bigger question about Junior's plan is will it work? By making his demands public Junior certainly has put Teresa Earnhardt and DEI in an awfully bad situation. Before last Thursday, all of Junior's demands were just speculative. Now that they are officially public, the pressure will start to mount on the folks at DEI on every level.

That pressure will come from sponsors, the media and fans. Sponsors will start to ask Teresa if she will make the deal happen -- after all they have millions of dollars riding on this. This is not a $50 blackjack hand -- they will start demanding answers soon. The media will want to know what is happening. The interview requests are already starting to pile up for Teresa Earnhardt, Max Segiel and Richie Gilmore.

Unfortunately for him, general manager and all around good guy Richie Gilmore will have to shoulder the brunt of that demand which is not his job. The owner should be filling that role and answering the media's questions, but she appears to have little fondness for the media unless she is promoting something where she can make a buck or two.

And the fans? They're so excited about the possibility of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. driving a black #3 car that they can't stand it. They're just ready for him to move on and be like dear old dad. All of the above scenarios equal one thing -- the ball is in the DEI court and the pressure is off Junior.

So is it working? The answer to that is yes. The Junior camp is off to a resounding start in the negotiation process.

My answer to that is that she has to. Plain and simple, as we have said many times, DEI will not exist without Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the stable.

I think there is a part of Teresa Earnhardt that believes that statement to actually be untrue. I am sure there's a part of her that thinks the legendary image of Dale Earnhardt, Sr. has enough staying power to sustain what he built for as long as she wants to keep it running.

If that is true, she is sadly, sadly mistaken. That reality check will come in the form of Budweiser calling to say their 20 million dollars a year will be gone day one if Junior is gone -- 20 million dollars tends to wake you up. At some point Mrs. Earnhardt will come to her senses -- she has to, doesn't she? And my take is that once that happens there will be deal worked out to keep Junior in the DEI fold for good. How do you work out a deal like this?

Slowly.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>more
http://www.nbcsports.com/nascar/1038586/detail.html

[WestCoastGal]

This schedule will take us through the Duels....then a new Daytona thread. Note the news conference tomorrow, may be the penalties issued for 55, 17 and 9 if any.

Tues. Feb. 13 1 p.m. ET NASCAR News Conference SPEED
8 p.m. ET SPEED Report SPEED

Wed. Feb. 14 11:30 a.m. ET NASCAR Live! SPEED
Noon ET Nextel Cup practice SPEED
1 p.m. ET NASCAR Live! SPEED
2 p.m. ET Nextel Cup practice SPEED
3 p.m. ET Busch practice SPEED
4:30 p.m. ET Craftsman Truck practice SPEED
5:30 p.m. ET NASCAR Live! SPEED
8 p.m. ET SPEED Report SPEED
9 p.m. ET NASCAR Live! SPEED

Thurs. Feb. 15 11 a.m. ET Craftsman Truck rookie practice SPEED
11:45 a.m. ET Craftsman Truck final practice SPEED
1 p.m. ET NASCAR RaceDay SPEED
2 p.m. ET Duels at Daytona SPEED
5 p.m. ET NASCAR Victory Lane SPEED
6:30 p.m. ET Craftsman Truck qualifying SPEED
8 p.m. ET SPEED Report SPEED
9 p.m. ET SPEED Road Tour Challenge SPEED
10 p.m. ET Duels at Daytona SPEED

[NormsRevenge]

No speed channel anymore.. I have to find a sports bar to watch the dual races,, I won't need to make a beer run at least, but I will probably need a taxi ride to get home. ;-)

[steveegg]

Well, there is no such thing as a free lunch :-(

[steveegg]

Bad timing on my part, but I just found this bit of news (from the Wisconsin State Journal via MattKenseth.com) - Robbie Reiser re-upped with Roush for another 3 years just after Christmas, will stay as the #17 crew chief.

[NormsRevenge]

If I'm lucky they'll have a happy hour with free hordeurves. :-)

[steveegg]

If I'm lucky they'll have a happy hour with free hordeurves. :-)

That would work.

[NormsRevenge]

Probably no deviled eggs ,, but,, can't be choosy sometimes. :-)

[steveegg]

Probably no deviled eggs ,, but,, can't be choosy sometimes. :-)

If it's free and edible,....

[WestCoastGal]

Jr was on Nascar Now for an interview.........his comments on the contract.......

"he woudn't be appeased by a small pecentage." He knows DEI can be much better and he wants to take it where he knows it can go NOW not at the end of his career. They asked what would happen if his demands are not met. He smiled that crooked smile and said he and Kelley would have to sit down and discuss it. No rush, no timetable and he has about 3 pages of requests for things to be changed in his contract.

[steveegg]

No rush, no timetable and he has about 3 pages of requests for things to be changed in his contract.

Hopefully one of those is to allow a trip or two up to the land of cheese and beer (dunno how Bud would feel about Jr running the Miller Lite Nationals at Slinger though :-)

Other news from Nascar Now -

• Mikey's getting his car back for practice.
• The penalties aren't going to be announced until either late Tuesday or Wednesday.

[WestCoastGal]

I just hope Robot doesn't start in the minus column.

I think a trip to the land of cheese and beer for Jr would be something he would like. :) He's been sitting on the sidelines at the dirt tracks or waving the green flag because Budweiser won't let him participate.

[NYTexan]

He's been sitting on the sidelines... ...because Budweiser won't let him participate.

Exclusivity comes at a high price, for both sides. But as long as Bud stays with Jr., he can control his destiny. I wonder when DEI is gonna knuckle under?

[Jackknife]

You are more than welcome to share.

[fideist]

I wonder when DEI is gonna knuckle under?

In the same interview where Junior first announced he wanted majority ownership, he also said that he believed what would be right was for the four Earnhardt kids to have equal ownership.

It seems to me there are plenty of possible solutions --

1. The least popular with Theresa would be for her to take a buy-out. Junior said that would be feasible for him.

2. Ownership is turned over to the kids, but ownership duties are still ran from inside DEI and not by the kids.

3. Same as #2, except for now the kids receive 12.25% each and Theresa maintains controlling interest of 51%, until her death or retirement when the kids receive the rest of their percentages. I think this would be least popular with Junior.

I am not going to take sides in this whole garbage dump. But Theresa needs to wake up to the fact that what her beloved husband would have wanted was for his kids to get the company in the end. And Junior needs to wake up to the fact that, while indeed he is necessary for the success of the company, if he wants Theresa to play ball, he has to bring himself down a notch.

However, I know EXACTLY what Junior is talking about when he says he wants to feel a part of DEI and not like just another contract driver. And I believe he is totally entitled to that.

[fideist]

I sent Jayski an email in regard to RCR, and he replied he too has heard no discussion.

[fideist]

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