Dale Jr. and Teresa Earnhardt have their share of Busch hardware. The next challenge: the Nextel Cup championship. Credit: David Taylor and Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images

Track Smack: DEI, Jr. slicing up high-dollar pie

1. Dale Jr. and Teresa: Is the situation overblown already, or will this story continue to get bigger?

Duane Cross: It's overblown. Teresa has a point from a car owner's standpoint: Does all the hob-knobbing take away from Dale's driving? Granted, he's a marketing machine -- and DEI benefits from that -- but when does Junior reach a saturation point and become Anna Kournikova-esque?

Ryan Smithson: The answer to both questions is "yes." I was surprised when Dale said that he hadn't talked to Teresa any, if at all. It made me wonder: Did they not exchange Christmas gifts? Did he e-mail her a gift certificate?

Dave Rodman: I pretty much agree with one of our esteemed colleagues who said that, until it's resolved, it will be the biggest underlying story of the season. I hope it gets resolved, because we have enough competition items to deal with.

Mark Aumann: Yes and yes. Having covered enough labor disputes, it seems purely like contract posturing. However, there's a very good chance we won't get out from underneath it until there's a settlement announced.

Ryan Smithson: Come on Duane, Anna Kournikova and Dale Jr. are not even on the same boat. He won the freakin' Daytona 500 and more than a dozen other races. Couple Busch titles. She didn't win jack.

Dave Rodman: Good call, Ryan. I think an A.K. type figure was what Teresa was referring to -- all style and no substance whatsoever. Given the season he had in 2006, I don't think anyone could question his commitment to his race team and to excelling. And if you know him at all, you know he's not here to putter around.

Teresa and Dale Jr. celebrate DEI's crowning achievement to date: winning the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15, 2004. Credit: Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Duane Cross: Kournikova won some tennis matches, too -- but it's about winning the big one, and Junior hasn't done that: the Cup title. The comparison is style over substance. I see Teresa's point. ... He's coming off a great season and 2007 may prove to be a watershed campaign for Junior, but he and Teresa need to get this contract settled and move on so he can concentrate on driving.

Ryan Smithson: A contract like his is not something that can be done in days, anyway.

Duane Cross: It's not like DEI and Junior began negotiating last week; talks have been ongoing for several months.

Mark Aumann: So who's negotiating from a position of strength? Junior has an out -- Childress. But Teresa holds sway on team ownership.

Dave Rodman: I'll never forget back when Ricky Rudd and Robert Yates were in the midst of their last breakup, which was brutal. I remember seeing Rudd at a track in the fall and asking him if he had talked to Robert lately. Ricky said he had not talked to Robert "in weeks." I was stunned, figuring they were both at the damned racetrack every week -- how could they not talk?

Ryan Smithson: I wonder if Dale Jr. has any inkling how much money he could make by moving to RCR? Dale Jr. is one of those rare drivers that can stack four teams worth of sponsorship. That is something DEI has got to keep in mind.

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Duane Cross: DEI is aware of that, that Junior wants a piece of the pie -- and the contract will get signed. It's a non-story -- until someone throws a grenade into the middle of the negotiations. Anyone see that happening? No -- then move on.

Dave Rodman: Ryan, you heard him say he neither needed nor cared much about the money. As if anyone needed to hear that again to understand it. I think it's pretty cool what he's done with JR Motorsports and how he wants to be involved in the business.

Mark Aumann: But at the expense of sharing ownership of the team? I don't know if it's worth that much.

Dave Rodman: I think if Junior left, the DEI racing operation would not be long for this series.

Ryan Smithson: Like Rudd said, owning a team is overrated.

Mark Aumann: Well, owning a team that doesn't win might be. But I doubt Rick Hendrick would agree.

Dave Rodman: Again, negative -- at least from Junior's perspective. It ain't about the money. He wants some determination of what the competition structure is going to be -- and I think that's relevant and appropriate.

Y'all want some fries with that ... ? Credit: Getty Images Publicity

Duane Cross: I don't argue that. Dale is a sharp guy and knows how the game is played. He is the face of DEI; everyone involved knows that. It's just beating a dead horse to continue to write "DEI and Earnhardt Jr. are still working on a contract."

Ryan Smithson: I wonder if the fight is more due to the merchandise sales.

Mark Aumann: The dentist reminded me to switch Dale Earnhardt Jr. toothbrushes every six months, so I'm doing my part. ... It's a control issue. That's almost always the case in contract negotiations.

Dave Rodman: Well, it appears that due to their superior legal strength -- if, as Junior said, that driving the Budweiser car is the dominant issue he may not go anywhere anytime soon -- because even though Junior is the face of that company, I think he likes the Red Alliance.

Ryan Smithson: How can this be classified as a non-story in any sense of the word?

Dave Rodman: He is Dale damned Earnhardt freaking Jr. You're telling me he shouldn't have an ownership stake in that team?

Duane Cross: I didn't say he shouldn't have an ownership stake. Junior doesn't want this to be a weekly gabfest, "So, you signed yet?" He wants to concentrate on the task at hand: winning races, making the Chase and challenging for the Cup championship. And I doubt the fans want to hear, "Yeah, we're still working on it" spun 5,000 different ways every damn week at the track. Everyone knows it's being worked on -- go find something else to write about.

2. Off the top of your head, what was your favorite Bobby Hamilton memory?

Ryan Smithson: I guess I have to punt and say the 1996 Phoenix victory or 2001 Talladega, but I will also never forget his "scab on Earnhardt's butt" comment about Kevin Harvick back in late 2001.

Bobby Hamilton's first victory in the famed Petty Enterprises' No. 43 car was on Oct. 27, 1996, at Phoenix. Credit: David Taylor/Getty Images

HAMILTON DIES AT 49 Bobby Hamilton, the 2004 Craftsman Truck Series champion and a four-time winner in the Cup Series, died on Jan. 7. He was 49.  •   Complete story, click here MESSAGE BOARD •   Send your condolences to Bobby Hamilton's family. BY THE NUMBERS Bobby Hamilton found Victory Lane in all three of NASCAR's top series, but when he went to the Lady in Black in a truck, he found his way to the front.  •   Hamilton: By the Numbers PHOTO GALLERY From driving the 43 car for Petty Enterprises to winning a Truck Series championship with his own team, Bobby Hamilton's career was multi-faceted.  • Hamilton: In Photos 2004 FLASHBACK The 2004 season was Bobby Hamilton's crowning moment in the Truck Series, but even in his championship year nothing was handed to the owner/driver.  •   Complete story, click here Reflecting on a titleBobby Hamilton looks back on his 2004 truck championship Lifting the trophyBobby Hamilton clinches the 2004 Truck Series championship '05: Victory at MansfieldBobby Hamilton celebrates his UAW-GM Ohio 250 victory Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Mark Aumann: I don't know that he had the personality or disposition to last long in the Cup cars, but it seemed like he fit the laid-back Truck Series perfectly.

Ryan Smithson: Bobby was definitely someone you had to look hard to find if you wanted to interview him, Aumann.

Duane Cross: Talladega 2001. Caution-free, foot-to-the-floor -- good-looking blue and yellow Square D car. And he was dog-tired at the end.

Dave Rodman: Bobby breaking into a perfect, word-for-word, 50 Cent rap in the hauler when we did the group 10 Questions with him and his kid drivers.

Mark Aumann: I'm certain he'd point to the 1998 Martinsville race as one of those "perfect storm" days -- started from the pole, led 378 laps.

Ryan Smithson: I remember Felix Sabates wanted him to go drive for him back in 1996 or so. Those two would have been a hoot.

Duane Cross: There aren't a lot of guys who know the car from bottom to top and front to back, but Bobby was one of the grease-under-the-fingernails guys. It's going to be a lesser sport when the last of the "racer's racers" are gone.

Ryan Smithson: I was really surprised to hear how respected of a chassis specialist he was when talking to his peers this week.

Dave Rodman: Oh hell yeah. I remember him setting up that car for DW at Nashville. It was a treasure for us that Bobby got his shot and obviously, he was the man to make the most of it. ... You wanted a straight shot -- go to Bobby. I have numerous memories of sessions he did, not only with me but numerous other journos and he pulled no punches. If you wanted a story -- find BH -- you'd never go away disappointed.

Duane Cross: Hamilton should also get props for being the guy who returned the N0. 43 Petty Enterprises ride to Victory Lane -- the '96 Phoenix race that Ryan mentioned. That was the first time a Petty car had won since Richard in October 1983.

Ryan Smithson: I lived in the same east Nashville neighborhood Bobby grew up in. It was a rough place. It was so bad that the April 16, 1998, tornado that hit it actually improved the conditions.

Mark Aumann: Of course, Ryan will never forget the work he did, filming the Daydegarockrichington Speedway scenes for that Tom Cruise movie.

Ryan Smithson: I haven't seen that movie in almost a week. ... My favorite part of Days of Thunder is when Tom Cruise was trying to get back to the green flag before the restart, and Robert Duvall goes, "You have got to be max speed before the green flag drops." And he didn't get a black flag.

Dave Rodman: I remember how proud Bobby was of his facility in Mt. Juliet. He had an open house a couple years ago in conjunction with the Nashville truck race, and was like a dad with 10 kids and 30 grandkids.

Ryan Smithson: I hope the team keeps going.

Dave Rodman: I mean that as no slight to Lil' Bobby -- it's just that Bobby knew what he had created and he was damned proud of it. Just like he was damned proud of his son and just loved him and his granddaughter. That probably hurts the most.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.