Dale Jr. denies DEI ownership is issue

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. denied that a desire to become a part owner in Dale Earnhardt Inc. was causing a holdup in his contract with the team.

Earnhardt Jr. said Saturday at Michigan International Speedway that his share of ownership in the Chance 2 Motorsports Busch Series team was more than he wanted, and owning a share of his father's company, DEI, is "not really a big deal to me."

"I guess people were speculating on what could be the holdup, what could be the situations of disagreement or the circumstances that need to be compromised in the contract between me and Teresa," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I guess that was one of the things that people thought might be of my interest, but it's really not. But I don't really find any interest in ownership at this particular time.

"I enjoy the Busch Series team that I have, and I'm only 50 percent owner in that. It's fun, and I'm learning. That'll be the experience that'll tell me whether I want to have anything to do with ownership down the road. But right now, I've got enough. I ain't got to where I want to be as a race car driver. I've got a long ways to go as a race car driver. Ownership's way, way, way out of the picture right now."

DALE EARNHARDT JR.  •  Driver Page  •  2003 Stats  •  DEI team page  •  Store: Dale Jr. gear

Earnhardt Jr. still doesn't have a contract with DEI, the team with which he moved to Winston Cup in 2000. He said Saturday he wasn't sure what was delaying contract negotiations and he hasn't had a talk to Teresa Earnhardt, his father's widow and owner of DEI.

But part ownership wasn't an issue, Junior said.

"That's never very important to me," Earnhardt Jr. said. "There are other things in the contract. I haven't talked to Teresa one-on-one. I don't know what certain aspects we need to sit down and discuss and compromise on yet, so I can't say what is holding the process up."

Earnhardt Jr., who has risen to the top of the Winston Cup popularity chart in recent years, said his sponsor, Budweiser, was waiting on his contract with DEI to be worked out before it signed an extension. Junior said he expected to stay with Budweiser for a long time.

"They want to definitely know that everything's in place," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Like everybody else, they don't know the whole story and don't really know my true feelings. If they did, I feel like everybody would just calm down about it. My mind and my heart are in driving the 8 car, and it always has been. But I want to get what I feel like I deserve for it."

Since Earnhardt Jr. said last weekend he was a "free agent," rumors have been flying about his future. And while he said he's thought about driving for another team, that doesn't seem likely.

"I entertained the idea of driving for somebody else," Earnhardt Jr. said. "You always do that. You daydream about everything in this sport. But it never is anything I thought would be reality.

"On the other side of that, I'm definitely out to get what I feel like I deserve. As sure as everybody can be about me driving the 8 car for as long as I drive, I'm not going to do it for free. I expect to get paid and get compensated as I would anywhere else in this business."

Earnhardt Jr. admitted he put DEI "in a little bit of a strain" over his comments last week, especially considering the company is looking for a sponsor and a driver for its No. 1 car in 2003.

But his comments could have been calculated, creating a bump in priority about his contract.

"Every once in a while, you guys come in pretty handy," Earnhardt Jr. said of the media.

"It's nice to have a little leverage," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I've been without leverage for a long time."