Growth Was Stunted – Dale Jr’s Close Friend Reveals How His Decision to Leave His Father’s Team Ended DEI

In 2007, Dale Earnhardt Jr. made the tough decision to leave his father’s NASCAR team, Dale Earnhardt Inc (DEI). At the time, Junior had asked for a larger share of the ownership of the team, owned by his stepmother Teresa Earnhardt. His contract was up by the end of the year and negotiations for a new deal began ahead of the start of the season.

However, things remained tense between Dale Earnhardt’s son and his third wife. The talks ultimately did not bear any fruit as Dale Jr left the team at the end of the season and joined Hendrick Motorsports.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. could have gotten the band back with the Eurys at DEI

Junior’s close friend and former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace dove into the situation surrounding his exit in a recent episode of the Kenny Wallace Show. The 59-year-old emphasized that Dale Jr. could have achieved a great deal in his career had he made his peace with Teresa Earnhardt.

Wallace said; “In my honest opinion, if Dale Earnhardt Jr could have worked it out with Teresa, he would have went on to win a championship and won it all. That’s my opinion.

Unfortunately, you know we’ve listened on the Dirty Mo Radio, the Dale Jr. download, it’s no secret. I believe, my opinion, Dale Earnhardt Jr’s growth was stunted, slowed down because he could not get along with Teresa Earnhardt, he further added.

At the time, DEI had Tony Eury Sr. as the crew chief and Tony Eury Jr. as the car chief. The Eurys and Dale Jr split up but if DEI did not close shop in 2009, they could have gotten back together, as per Kenny Wallace.

“That group right there, even though Dale Earnhardt Jr and the Eurys kind of split up a little bit, they could have got back together if DEI could have stayed going. If Dale Earnhardt Jr stays at DEI, DEI never ends. It keeps digging, right? So then, they don’t get along, they don’t get together. We don’t overcome the head injuries, we don’t get Tony Eury Jr and Sr back,” Kenny Wallace added.

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Junior chose peace over money

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It is no secret that Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s last year on his father’s team was tense. Dale Jr. asked for 51% of the team’s ownership, and that played a part in negotiations. At the time, a 32-year-old Earnhardt Jr. said that while the deal “never even got close” to materializing, money was not the issue.

“It’s not the guy who gives me the biggest paycheck. It’s the person I feel like will allow me to accomplish what I want to in my career, on the race track, and in this shop itself,” according to a Clevland 19 he said.

“There’s some things you can’t get with money, peace of mind and satisfaction in what you do every day. I’m seeking to have that peace of mind and that comfort to be able to really be an asset to somebody. I want to go somewhere and really make things happen for somebody”, Dale Jr. added.

Had Junior and his stepmother Teresa decided to mend their ways back in 2007, perhaps he would have stayed with his father’s team. Maybe Kenny Wallace is right when he says Dale Jr. would have gone on to win a championship. What are your thoughts? Would Dale Jr. be a more successful driver if he had stuck with DEI in 2007?

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