Dale Earnhardt Jr has confirmed that he will leave the Dale Earnhardt Inc. team formed by his late father at the end of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season.
The 32-year-old made the announcement during a news conference held at the base of his own JR Motorsports team, where he officially confirmed rumours that he would be taking his services away from the family team for 2008.
Earnhardt had asked for 51 percent ownership of the team now run by his stepmother, Teresa, but a deadline set for the negotiations to be concluded passed without a deal being done, with team and driver now going their separate ways at the end of the year.
“We both worked extremely hard to find a common ground," Earnhardt Jr said "But as the negotiations continued, one thing became evident. We both want to be and get to the same place. We both simply had different visions on how to get there.
“It's important to me that my father's legacy continues. I would like nothing more than for DEI to continue building its future around good people, hard work and relentless determination, the same characteristics that were so evident in the man that built the place.
“What team I drive for next season I don't know. We'll see what opportunities I have. We'll see who wants to hire me, who's interested for me to drive their race cars and we'll decide from there.”
In response, Teresa Earnhardt admitted she was disappointed that her stepson had elected to move elsewhere, adding that the team would continue to have a bright future despite his departure.
“While we are very disappointed that Dale Jr. has chosen to leave the family business, we remain excited about our company's future,” she said in a statement. “Our aggressive expansion and diversification plans have not changed.
