“Naive” Dale Jr Rivals Fans’ Sentiments, Reveals Stepmother Teresa’s Silent Battle Protecting His Dead Father’s Dignity

When Dale Earnhardt Sr passed away in the 2001 Daytona 500, a curtain of silence fell across all of NASCAR. The sport had lost a racing legend who etched several golden moments throughout his career. They ranged from driving from 18th to first in the final five laps at Talladega Superspeedway to executing the ‘Pass in the Grass’ while battling Bill Elliott in the 1987 Winston. But while fans focused on his achievements during his prime, his family had to deal with problems after his death.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was 27 years old then and still grappling with the reality that his legendary father succumbed to crash injuries. It was then that his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, stepped up to protect her husband’s legacy. In a recent recollection of that time, Dale Jr debunks the negative feelings that fans harbor about Teresa.

Dale Earnhardt Jr shows the sunnier side

Ever since Teresa Earnhardt refused ownership of Dale Earnhardt Inc. and trademark rights to the No. 8 to her stepson in 2007, she quickly became a villain in NASCAR. Fans found colorful names for her as she blocked 14-time Most Popular Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr’s wishes. However, the winds of change are afoot, as she finally relinquished the No. 8 race car’s rights to Dale Jr. The latter is all set to drive that number with Budweiser’s sponsorship in Late Model Stock Series races in 2024-25. And the stepson is now repaying the favor, attempting to revamp Teresa Earnhardt’s stained image.

After Dale Earnhardt passed away, the NASCAR world was thrown into flux. The sport just lost a 7-time Cup champion who ruled fans’ emotions – so some people wanted to capitalize on that even after his death. But Teresa acted as a chrome-steel barrier and ensured her family’s dignity was safe. Dale Earnhardt Jr harped on that recently in a Dale Jr Download episode:

“I saw that effort when we were going through the autopsy photos. There were people that were trying to get those released. I certainly didn’t want them released…I was really impressed with how hard Teresa fought that. And I’m thankful that she did, because…I was naive. I don’t think I had the vision to understand why that was important and why she was fighting that so hard,” he said.

Dale Jr continued his appreciation for Teresa’s efforts after that tragic day on 18th February 2001. “But I’m so thankful that she did…took a lot of effort, took a lot of traveling, and spent a ton of money to do it. So she’s always kind of been protective that way.” Although fans have labeled her a villainous name for retaining the Number 8 rights for 17 years, Dale Earnhardt Jr softened his words. “I thought as long as she had this aid, I was very happy that it was in a safe place. I knew that it was always gonna be fine. But if she doesn’t want to pay for the trademark anymore, I’m like, well we better get that, because I want it safe.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr has maintained his calm composure in past instances despite his stepmother’s antics.

All it needed was patience

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Teresa Earnhardt’s infamy stretched beyond just retaining the trademark rights. She filed a lawsuit against Kerry, Dale Earnhardt Jr’s brother, when he announced plans to roll out a line of homes and furniture called “The Earnhardt Collection.” In 2017, Budweiser released a commercial to honor Dale Jr before his last Cup Series race. Fans quickly noticed that the commercial didn’t feature Jr.’s #8 or any other trademarks on the car. They assumed that Teresa had probably denied Budweiser permission to use the DEI trademarks to honor Dale Jr. Nevertheless, Dale Jr. always maintained a positive outlook about his stepmother, refraining his sentiments from spilling out publicly.

Dale Jr harped on his trust in Teresa’s handling of his family’s legacy earlier this year. “There’s one thing that I’ll say about Teresa, is in terms of owning a trademark and protecting things like that, protecting our legacy and our family name, I have a lot of trust in her around those things. She’s very smart, very savvy, always thinking. She takes some emotion out of business decisions and says, ‘This is what’s fair. This is what’s right.’ So in terms of this, I would be completely fine if she reacquired the trademark.”Eventually, she yielded the rights of the No. 8. Now Dale Earnhardt Jr will flaunt those iconic red, black, and white colors. He will compete in the South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway on November 24th.

Evidently, the hot-and-cold relationship between Dale Earnhardt Jr and his stepmother has taken a turn for the better. Let us wait and see the spectacle that the No. 8 will produce next month.