Notes: DEI waiting to find out how much 8 is worth

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Hendrick Motorsports may be interested in obtaining Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car number, but the organization has yet to make an offer to the driver's current team.

"I have no formal proposals from anyone about the No. 8," Max Siegel, president of global operations at Dale Earnhardt Inc., said Sunday at Michigan International Speedway. "If I get one, anything's possible. We'll talk about it. But I have no formal proposals."

Soon, he likely will. Earnhardt expressed a desire to keep his car number on Wednesday, when his impending move to Hendrick was announced. Team owner Rick Hendrick reiterated his interest in acquiring the No. 8 on Sunday before the Citizens Bank 400. But right now, no one seems exactly sure of what it might take to get it.

"I don't even know if you can quantify it," Siegel said. "I don't know if there's a number or figure for what it's worth. Before I can give any recommendation to my owner, I have to evaluate what the proposal is. One of the reasons why I'm not trying to speculate or give hypotheticals is because it's part of the Earnhardt legacy, whether it's Dale Jr. or the Dale Earnhardt Inc. family. I can't even formulate any kind of recommendation for my owner until someone contacts me and figures out what a meaningful proposal is."

So what is a fair price for a car number? Roush Fenway Racing president Geoff Smith said that depends on how much it would cost a team to rebrand all of their equipment and merchandise, and whether that number alone has enough value to sway potential new sponsors. You add all of that up, and you have a ballpark asking price.

Of course, that's if you're willing to open up the checkbook in the first place. Smith, whose Roush team switched its flagship No. 6 to David Ragan after Mark Martin left for another team, believes fans will come to accept Earnhardt regardless of what number is on the side of his car.

"I think the world will see that Junior could use Mandarin Chinese numbers on the car, and would sell just as much souvenirs as the No. 8. That's my official position," Smith said.

"I personally think that the brand equity is with Junior. It's like the Nike swoosh. There was a Nike before the swoosh, but everybody got to know the swoosh because there was marketing around it. Whatever number he has will take his character. Even though there's some racing history that means something, I think a lot of times it means more to the crew guys and the people who have worked in an organization. At DEI, there's pride in, 'We are the 8.' It's not just the guy." (Continued)