Earnhardt to leave DEI after '07, unsure of future

MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. will leave the company founded by his late father at the end of the year in a shakeup certain to ignite a bidding war for NASCAR's most popular driver.

He told Dale Earnhardt Inc. on Thursday that he had decided to make the switch to another team when his contract expires (watch video).

Earnhardt Jr. leaving DEI at end of season

In a news conference at his JR Motorsports race shop on Thursday, Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced he will leave DEI at the end of this season.

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"We worked really hard, but we were never close," Earnhardt said of negotiations with DEI. "I am a little sad, but I am trying to remind myself to be excited about what's ahead."

Earnhardt had asked for 51 percent ownership of the team now run by his stepmother, Teresa. Negotiations on a contract extension began before the season and have been tense all along. Earnhardt's sister, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, had set a deadline to get the deal done by the end of the month.

"I'm sad that I have to leave some employees that I got close to, leave some relationships," Earnhardt said. "We're going to finish this year out, and I told my guys we're going to run hard. I don't want any excuses for us not giving our best effort. I plan on giving everything I've got like I always do, and hopefully that's what I'll get in return."

Three-time Cup champion Darrell Waltrip, one of Dale Earnhardt's friendly rivals, traveled from Nashville at Earnhardt's request to join him for Thursday's announcement.

"This was incredibly difficult, a lot of emotion and the hardest thing he's had to deal with up until now," Waltrip said of Earnhardt's decision to leave DEI. "This is a big deal."

Now, Earnhardt must decide which team is the best fit for him.

"I've always thought RCR just because of the Childress-Earnhardt relationship," said Waltrip of Richard Childress Racing, where the elder Earnhardt won six of his seven championships. "I have personally have always thought the racing world would be right if Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove the black No. 3 car."

Earnhardt has made it clear he wants to be in a Chevrolet next season, but that loyalty could limit his options.

It's also possible that Earnhardt will field his own Nextel Cup team from JR Motorsports, where he runs a Busch Series program and several Late Model cars out of a brand-new shop in Mooresville. Earnhardt scheduled his news conference at that facility. (Continued)