GOOOO Junebug!!!
Speaking at NASCAR Media Day on Thursday, Earnhardt Jr. said that he wanted majority ownership in the team owned and operated by his stepmother, Teresa. Asked if he wanted more than 50 percent ownership, Earnhardt Jr. said, "Absolutely."
The son of seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt is in contract negotiations with DEI since his current contract ends this year.
"The main factor is the ownership part," Earnhardt Jr. said. "It has nothing to do with money and nothing else, really. I really like my team. ... Everything is on the upswing. But my father has been gone for five, six years now, and I want majority ownership."
Earnhardt, who has his own television and radio show, said in his most recent interview he was past that. On Thursday, he called it a "low blow."
"She portrayed it as I was out there waving a flag, 'Hey, look at me. I can dance and I can sing, check me out,' like I'm trying to do all this different stuff," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I enjoy my radio show. It's an hour long. It takes no time to do. My TV show takes five days out of the year to shoot."
Earnhardt Jr. said he's tried hard to remain professional with his public comments on Teresa and negotiations "to keep the bitterness out of it."
He was much more outspoken on Thursday, saying media reports that DEI needs him more than he needs DEI have helped him understand his value.
"You don't like public opinion or media opinions to sway decisions," Earnhardt Jr. said. "But in this case, I have a real bad habit of being way too modest about my position in this sport. A lot of people, including the media, have helped me understand what I'm worth, what the situation really is."
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/columns/story?seriesId=2&columnist=newton_david&id=2758775