Charlotte, N.C. – Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s future has been the topic of discussion this season, with seemingly everyone in NASCAR consumed with where the sport’s biggest star will drive next year.
Tongues were really wagging Wednesday when Earnhardt, who’s in the final year of his DEI contract, called a news conference for this morning at his Mooresville (N.C.) race shop without releasing any details.
Reached at a sponsor appearance at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Wednesday night, Earnhardt told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he planned to talk about “some ideas I’ve got for the future” but would not elaborate.
Rampant speculation Wednesday night had Junior set to announce he was leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc., the company founded by his late father and the only team he has driven for, to field his own Nextel Cup team.
Mike Davis, a representative for Earnhardt, refused to discuss Junior’s announcement.
Earnhardt owns JR Motorsports, which fields a Busch team for Shane Huffman and several late-model teams. At the recent grand opening for JRM, he said he could see the organization fielding Cup cars. Earnhardt’s sister Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, who runs JRM’s business side, appeared taken aback by the remark and later said the duo had no plans to expand into NASCAR’s top series.
The AJC reported that during Wednesday night’s sponsor event, Earnhardt told fans that his plans for JR Motorsports might not include adding Nextel Cup cars and that his priority as a team owner is promoting young drivers and mechanics.
“I don’t want the company to get too big,” he said. “I’ve got about 70 employees now, and I don’t want to get too many more.”
If expansion is in the cards, Earnhardt would need help with engines and equipment. That could come from car owners Rick Hendrick or Richard Childress, who fielded championship-winning cars for Dale Earnhardt and currently leases engines to JR Motorsports. Hendrick officials said they have no knowledge of Junior’s announcement, and calls to RCR officials were not immediately returned.
