Dale Earnhardt Jr. Holds Ground Against Begrudged Stepmother, Hoping to Reclaim the Intimidator’s Legacy

Is it time for Teresa Earnhardt to fall from grace? An ugly public battle in 2003 forced Dale Earnhardt Jr. out of the team his father started, with Teresa, dubbed ‘The Wicked Witch of the South’ by NASCAR nation, still maintaining ownership of #8 and #1 ever since. DEI collapsed shortly after without an Earnhardt behind the wheel. Nearly two decades on, the possession of the #8 logo is up for grabs finally.

Ever since Dale Earnhardt’s death, Teresa has tightly controlled trademarks to #1 and #8, including the use of the intellectual property of the DEI. Except for the #15 logo once driven by Michael Waltrip, which she had given up a few years ago, the news is out that trademarks for both #1 and #8 are due to expire next month.

Is Teresa Earnhardt looking to make amends after all?

Last year, in June, she filed for the renewal of the #1 trademark, following the episode of Dale Jr. Download, which featured the former DEI President, Ty Norris. During the podcast, Junior and Norris shared their experience working with Teresa at DEI. This wasn’t appreciated by her. However, despite the differences she’s had with Dale Jr. over the years, now it seems like she just might let go of it all.

Interestingly, Teresa has decided not to file a renewal for the trademark of the iconic #8 number. So this allows Dale Jr. to make his move. A post shared by BrakeHard on X states that “Dale Earnhardt Jr Holdings has applied for the #8 trademark that is set to expire on June 3, 2024.” The application was filed by DEJ Holdings on May 14 and is currently under process.

Dale Jr. obviously would have known that Teresa wouldn’t be filing for trademark renewal. At least that would be the theory for him to register and apply for ownership of the #8 logo. It is hard to believe that Teresa is letting go of her hold on the trademark, knowing that she can make a claim. But given the current circumstances, if everything goes well, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be rightly taking over the reins of the iconic No. 8.

However, remember the commercial by Budweiser that was dropped to honor Earnhardt Jr. before his last race in the Cup Series? People raised eyebrows when it didn’t feature #8 or any of the trademarks of Dale’s DEI car. Why? Because they were owned by Teresa. Hence, fans assumed that Junior’s stepmother did not allow Budweiser to use their trademarks while celebrating Dale Jr.

But things didn’t stop there. Ross Chastin’s car, back in 2022, had a Dale Earnhardt throwback paint scheme. But guess what took place? Modifications were required to the font of the number as it encroached on the trademark owned by Teresa.

Now it looks like Dale Jr. is making all the right moves. Apart from staking his claim for the ownership of the #8 DEI team, he recently secured a new podcast deal with SiriusXM. That would see the radio giant have exclusive advertising rights to Dirty Mo Media’s podcast show, which will air twice a week on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

SiriusXM is looking to tap into Dirty Mo Media’s fan outreach

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It looks like Mike Davis’ work behind the scenes is finally paying off. When Davis decided to step away from Dale Jr. Download to take the reins of the brand as the President, many fans were reluctant to see him depart from the studio. But given the recent collaboration with SiriusXM, both Dale Jr. and Davis seem to have made the right call.

While business deals come with new changes and plans, nothing of the sort will happen with Dirty Mo Media and the way they operate. Mike Davis, making an appearance on DJD Reloaded, assured the fans by stating, “If you’ve accessed any Dirty Mo Media show, that’s still the way you can continue to access it. Nothing changes there. SiriusXM, they bought into what we’re trying to build. They liked us for what we are, they’re not trying to change us. That matters to me.”

Sarah Van Mosel, SiriusXM’s SVP of Podcast Strategy, expressed her excitement about teaming up with Dale Jr and Dirty Mo Media. “This not only bolsters the strength of our podcast offerings, but the addition of the ‘Dale Jr. Download’ to the SiriusXM NASCAR Radio channel enhances the programming available to our SiriusXM subscribers. This is another great example of the unique ways SiriusXM and talented creators like Dale and his team can work together.”

Dale Jr. has always been open to ideas that could further elevate his production company. With a long list of successful shows like Dale Jr Download, Actions Detrimental, and Door Bumper Clear, this partnership could further unlock more potential for growth and whole-hearted content for NASCAR fans to enjoy.