Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Step Mother Plotting Mind Games Against the Earnhardt’s as DEI Resurfaces Over Disputes

At one point, Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) was a powerhouse in NASCAR, especially dominant at restrictor plate tracks like Daytona and Talladega. However, after the passing of Dale Earnhardt Sr, the ownership, shocking many, went to his widow, Teresa Earnhardt, instead of his children, Dale Earnhardt Jr and Kelley Earnhardt. 

When Dale Jr decided to leave DEI due to disagreements with his stepmother, primarily due to ownership issues, Teresa reportedly said, “If Dale Jr doesn’t want to stick around here, we’ll make another Dale Jr.” She didn’t pass anything on to Junior, and it seems like even now, she might be causing trouble for her stepchildren. 

Teresa Earnhardt hasn’t stopped giving Dale Earnhardt Jr and his family a hard time

The very public tug-of-war over DEI between Teresa Earnhardt and Dale Jr not only led to the downfall of Earnhardt Sr’s cherished racing team, but also sparked a huge fuss. This was especially evident when a Budweiser commercial meant to honor Dale Jr conspicuously left out the #8, leading fans to suspect Teresa was blocking its use—since DEI held the trademark rights to both the #8 and #1.

Fast forward to now, and the #8 car, famously driven by Junior, is caught in trademark limbo yet again. If you look up the trademark status for #8, you’ll find that the last day to file for renewal with an additional fee is June 3, 2024. Given the typical timing for these processes, this should’ve been handled months ago, like it was with the #1. But as it stands, no steps have been taken to renew it as the final deadline gets ever closer.

It could just be that Teresa Earnhardt is playing games with everyone because, per the YouTube Channel BrakeHard, if there’s anyone who can hold a grudge as well as Dale Jr, it’s probably her. After all the drama with Junior, Ty Norris, and everything else at DEI, she might just wait until the last minute on June 2 or 3 to renew that trademark—just to show everyone who has the upper hand and say something like, “You thought it was yours? Think again!”

On the flip side, there’s a chance she might just let it lapse. Maybe she’ll let it go, and someone like Dale Jr or RCR will swoop in and snatch up the trademark. In fact, Matt from BrakeHard even speculated that letting the trademark lapse could be Teresa’s way of extending an olive branch to her stepchildren. She could be like, “Here. Use it on your cars if you want to. You can have it to sell merch.” 

However, given just how much their relationship soured since Dale Jr left DEI after the 2007 season and the fact that they haven’t really talked since—something Dale Jr mentioned on his podcast—it’s likely she wouldn’t let it just slide without a fight. She’s probably not going to make it easy for him to make that number his again. These discussions are critical, especially since Dale Earnhardt Jr opened up about the significance of the number in 2007.

He said, “We just wanted the number, but I was willing to give the number back when I was done driving. I wouldn’t have any use for it personally. I feel like it’s an Earnhardt tradition because my grandfather and my dad used it a little bit, too. I’m using it right now, and I figured that we would be able to keep using it. But unfortunately, we’re not going to be able to.” It seems the ongoing feud might be why she’s unwilling to let it go.

However, this isn’t the first time Teresa Earnhardt has been in the spotlight recently. Previously, Dale Jr mentioned on his podcast that she even denied him access to something that belonged to his father, sparking quite a bit of buzz then, too.

Teresa Earnhardt kept everything for herself

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In an episode of Dale Jr Download, Junior revealed that he once hoped to purchase 100 acres of land in the woods where his father had lived in a log cabin he built near the DEI shop. Junior wanted to build his own home there to stay close to his dad’s old stomping grounds. He approached Teresa about buying the land, but she expectedly turned him down.

And that’s not all. Earnhardt Sr had a loft filled with personal treasures – from his racing suits to Junior and Kelley’s military school uniforms. For more than 20 years, Dale Jr hasn’t been able to see any of it. Why? “Apparently, the day Dad died, they locked the doors, and nobody has been in there since. I believe that no one has probably set foot in there, and Teresa’s made absolutely sure that that’s the case.” 

It looks like she’s determined to keep Dale Jr away from even the memories of The Intimidator.