Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Petty Step-Mother Allegedly Goes One Step Further to Reignite Feud With Former Nemesis

Throughout Dale Earnhardt Jr’s glorious NASCAR career, there’s always been one thorn plaguing the Intimidator’s son. His relationship with Teresa Earnhardt. But this time around, it isn’t Dale Earnhardt Jr and his beloved #8 that are in question, considering Teresa Earnhardt has yet to file for the renewal of the #8’s DEI trademarks. This time, it’s about the #1.

It looks like Justin Marks and Trackhouse Racing may have to come to terms with an unfortunate reality owing to the #1’s trademark renewal. As Darlington becomes a fan favorite once again, Teresa Earnhardt’s long-standing grudge against Trackhouse’s president, Ty Norris, could spell disaster for future throwback plans.

Teresa Earnhardt’s NASCAR grudge finds a new home

When Dale Earnhardt Jr had his falling out with Teresa Earnhardt over payments for his time at DEI, Trackhouse’s President Ty Norris was in the thick of it. Not only was he a trusted friend of Junior, but he was also the general manager of DEI. In an episode of Dale Jr Download, Norris recalled that argument with Teresa before which he’d specifically asked Junior to keep it professional. He revealed Dale Jr shouting, “Y’all haven’t paid me! You’ve breached my contract!” 

This was back in 2003, and from there on, things only got worse between Teresa and Junior. But his and Norris’ friendship grew. One time, Junior even kicked Norris for tearing his ACL while playing basketball. So when Dale Earnhardt Jr left DEI after 2007, so did Norris. Coming back to the present, Norris is having the time of his life as Trackhouse Racing continues to flourish. With Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain continuing to bring in wins for the team, he’s in a far better place than he was at DEI. That said, updates on Teresa Earnhardt’s trademark applications for the #1 reveal a rocky road ahead.

NASCAR YouTuber BrakeHard recently uploaded a video sharing his thoughts on the situation. On June 3, Dale Earnhardt Inc.’s trademarks for #8 and #1 are due for expiration. As things stand, Teresa Earnhardt has only applied for the renewal of the #1, which Trackhouse Racing now uses. Now that DEI doesn’t even race, the YouTuber had some speculations regarding her push for renewal: “I think it might be some deep-rooted resentment for Ty Norris.”

According to the YouTuber, Ty Norris’ relationship with Trackhouse Racing could be why Teresa Earnhardt chose to renew the #1 and not the #8. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time she’s had an issue with Norris’ team using the #1. BrakeHard revealed, “Trackhouse and Teresa Earnhardt had a go-around in 2022 when the Trackhouse cars were running those Coca-Cola throwbacks for the Darlington Throwback Weekend. And they were presented with a cease and desist to stop using the #1 on the side of that car because it was essentially what DEI did.”

Although Trackhouse Racing worked its way around the issue by incorporating a slash on the #1 car, Teresa Earnhardt may want to ensure they face major troubles in setting up future throwbacks, too. At the time of these speculations, she was yet to win the review for the #1 trademark. BrakeHard even went over why she would want to pursue the #1 instead of the #8.

“I think what she wants to do here is to still prevent them from ever doing any throwbacks, from having the #1 available to them to do anything with it, ever to be able to capitalize monetarily off of that number. I think she just does not like Ty Norris, and as long as she can hold onto that, she absolutely will,” BrakeHard concluded. As for Junior’s #8, the YouTuber seems to think there might be a possibility for an olive branch.

Considering Teresa still hasn’t filed for the #8 trademark renewal, BrakeHard explained why she may let it lapse. “Maybe this is the olive branch for the Earnhardt family – for Dale Jr, Kelley, and that side – to be like, ‘Here. Use it on your cars if you want to. You can have it to sell merch.” Considering there’s no Dale Jr merch in the NASCAR Classics hauler, reclaiming the #8 could enable Junior to profit considerably from merchandise sales.

Coming back to Ty Norris, though, while BrakeHard’s thoughts were mere speculation, Trackhouse Racing’s worst fears may have come true.

As the #1’s trademark gets approved, is Teresa Earnhardt pursuing another vendetta?

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As things stand, DEI is nothing but a distant memory. What was once a team that showed Dale Earnhardt Jr great hopes of a championship now remains marred in controversy. That said, the NASCAR community was met with gut-wrenching news this weekend. Insider Joey Tartamella, who has been following Teresa’s trademark proceedings, shared on X, “As of Today, DEI’s trademark renewal for the #1 has been approved by the USPTO until 2031.”

Teresa will have the option to renew it further in 2031-33. While the #8’s trademarks are still unattested and set to expire, BrakeHard’s speculations regarding Teresa’s grudges for Ty Norris will be put to the test. But that’s not all. Many other factors also indicate that this constant renewal could be more of a vendetta than a shot at keeping Dale Sr’s legacy intact. Apart from drivers such as Steve Park, Darryl Waltrip, and Jamie McMurray, not many famous drivers have taken over the #1 at DEI.

This begs the question: If Teresa Earnhardt isn’t selling merchandise with the #1, then is it just a trademark to block others from using it?