One Of The Worst Personnel Decisions

[muggle not]

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/sports...5-11-0093.html

[Cindy_AL]

So true.

[RaceFanStan]

I reserve the right to disagree.

Dale Jr has lots of fans, sells lots of collectibles but he ISN'T the driver his father was !
Dale Jr's demand for 51% of DEI was unreasonable & he didn't deserve it !

I for one applaud Teresa for having the guts to let Dale Jr walk.
All you naysayers think what you want but DEI will survive without Dale Jr.

DEI will go on & they will have at least 2 cars next year.

[Sparky1329]

You may be right but I don't see it, Stan. On ESPN yesterday they cited figures that indicate Jr's worth at DEI represents 65% of the company's value.

[RaceFanStan]

Look at it this way ..... if Jeff Gordon left Hendrick MotorSports, would HMS fold up ?
No, it would not !
Losing Jeff Gordon would hurt HMS but a driver leaving doesn't spell the doom of a company.

The Cup driver pool is limited but there are talented drivers who will jump at the chance to drive for DEI.
They may need to to look at NBS or CTS if they have to have a young gun.
If the are willing to go with a veteran driver .....
Bobby Labonte, Sterling Marlin, Ward Burton, Scott Riggs & Joe Nemechek's contracts are up at the end of be 2007 ....

[trumperZ06]

Hhmmmm... DEI's worth a whole lot LESS... than it was two days ago !!!

: Maybe Dale Earnhardt Jr sure make her an... "offer" ?

Also... I wonder if Teresa will be getting any help from other Chevy team owners... now that Jr's gone.

Maybe she will get a little help from Roush... if DEI changes to Ford and Yates comes on board.

IN reality... it's starting to look bleak for DEI.

[Phoenixent]

I reserve the right to disagree.

Dale Jr has lots of fans, sells lots of collectibles but he ISN'T the driver his father was !
Dale Jr's demand for 51% of DEI was unreasonable & he didn't deserve it !

I for one applaud Teresa for having the guts to let Dale Jr walk.
All you naysayers think what you want but DEI will survive without Dale Jr.

DEI will go on & they will have at least 2 cars next year.

I agree with you Stan on this one. If Jr wants to make his own way fine. But it's a tough row to hoe.

Teresa will come out just fine on this as she was the business mind behind Dale Sr.

Jr. on the other hand will have to step up to the plate. He would have any excuss for poor performance because DEI is not in the picture any more.

It's a good thing I don't run the team I would stand him down for the rest of the season. He would have to be at the race but not behind the wheel for pulling this stunt.

[Cindy_AL]

Yes, there are alot of drivers who would jump at the chance to drive for DEI BUT if they are only getting mediocre cars, what does it matter. If DEI lucked out and found an exceptionally talented driver in the lower ranks, how long will a good driver stick around while being given 2nd class equipment? The only reason Jr stayed around so long was because of his Dad.
Im sure Mikey would probably be thrilled to come back to DEI... I think Steve Park is available as well.

Im sure that Teresa has come to her senses by now and seen the reality of it all. She will probably do all the things that Jr begged her to do and when the next driver is finally winning races for DEI, she will get all the glory & praise that Jr stood to inherit had she listened to him instead of denying him the one thing he wanted more than anything..... to win a championship under his Dad's company.

[Cindy_AL]

It's a good thing I don't run the team I would stand him down for the rest of the season. He would have to be at the race but not behind the wheel for pulling this stunt.

Then he wouldnt have to worry about injuring himself in an accident.

[e2mtt]

...

It's a good thing I don't run the team I would stand him down for the rest of the season. He would have to be at the race but not behind the wheel for pulling this stunt.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

And then maybe Budwieser and Wrangler and Chevy would stop paying you?

Cindy_Al is right here, RaceFanStan is wrong. Dale is a very good driver, good enough to challenge for the championship every year with the right support. He is also BY FAR the most popular driver, and sponsorship is a popularity contest, not really a points and standings contest.

Dale Jr. may not have inherited quite all of Dale's driving skills, but he did get a lot of business sense too. If, during negotiations, Dale realized that Teresa wasn't willing to do what needed to be done to make him a real championship contender, of course he wouldn't want to resign. He couldn't go for too long unsigned, as rumors fly, so thus the anouncement now.

Now the best thing Teresa can do is help Dale run as well as possible, to make it easier to hire decent drivers next year. If Dale and Martin continue to struggle, nobody but a retread or a rookie will take a DEI drive.