MOORESVILLE, N.C., Dale Earnhardt, Inc. has reached an agreement with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for the next five years to remain as the driver of the No. 8 DEI Chevrolet. The young Earnhardt has been driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. since 1998 and entered NASCAR's premier Winston Cup Series as a rookie in 2000.
The agreement between Teresa Earnhardt, CEO and president of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., and Earnhardt, Jr., solidifies the driver's future with the organization created by his father, seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt, and his wife, Teresa.
"Dale and I built this organization with a long term plan in place," Teresa said. "Dale Jr. has always been an intricate part of that plan and this agreement represents our commitment to one another in reaching the goal of winning championships."
The agreement is Earnhardt Jr's first ever Winston Cup contract as a driver, the terms are private, and is based on a five-year partnership through the 2007 season. Currently, he holds a career-high ranking of third place in the Winston Cup Series, matching his career best of 17 top-10 finishes with six races remaining.
"This is the first time I have had a contract in four years," Dale Jr. said. "We had a hand shake and that was sufficient. But, in today's business world you need written agreements and now we have one. It was an interesting process that was very educational. What it really came down to was Teresa and myself being in the same place at the same time and sitting down to talk about it. Once that happened, it was taken care of in no time at all.
"We have a lot of good people here at DEI that are committed to this company. Now we can set out to achieve those goals without any distractions."
Dale Earnhardt Inc. has accumulated an impressive collection of trophies including two NASCAR Busch Series championships, two NASCAR Truck Series championships, two Daytona 500 victories and 14 Winston Cup victories. Earnhardt, Jr., 29, has won eight of those NASCAR Winston Cup Series races and two Busch Series championships with Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Source: Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
