Guest Author - Debbie Lester

The No. 8 car, made famous by Dale Earnhardt Jr. deserved a much better fate! Earnhardt Gnassi Racing recently announced that the No. 8 driven this season by Aric Almirola would be sidelined due to problems finding sponsorship. There could be several reasons for this. Many people speculate that Earnhardt Gnassi’s sponsorship woes are only part of a much bigger problem with the economy. But there are some that look at the past and wonder if things could have been different.

Dale Earnhardt Incorporated was once a defining company in NASCAR. Made great by the late Dale Earnhardt and championed by his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. The No. 8 car was the premier car in the DEI stable. They had the most popular driver in NASCAR behind the wheel, with a multi-million dollar sponsor in Budweiser and they let it all slip through their fingers. With Dale Earnhardt Jr. driving the No. 8, the number could have went down in history like the numbers 43 & the 3. But, somewhere along the way, poor decisions and pride got in the way.

Dale Earnhardt had a great understanding of branding and how to take success on the track to another level in business. It was always understood that he was grooming Dale Jr. to take over one day. DEI was supposed to be a family company reminiscent of Petty Enterprises in it’s early onset. When Dale Earnhardt was tragically killed everything changed. His wife Teresa Earnhardt was in control and Dale Jr. watched as his father’s company took a far different path than expected.

Teresa’s business decisions were not always in keeping with Dale Earnhardt’s ideas and the premises he had set down. She made some poor decisions in regard to Dale Jr.’s career including changing his crew chief and cars after a great season. His performance suffered and he began to see that he wasn’t being given any control over his future. He had no say so in anything involving his own career. This situation made Junior question whether he should continue driving for DEI unless things changed.

Teresa Earnhardt refused to give Dale Jr. partial ownership and control of the team. Which was probably her biggest mistake. Dale Jr. took himself and his popularity elsewhere. This was the beginning of the end for the No. 8. Hendrick Motorsports would be the recipiant of Dale Jr.’s experience, and his popularity. Rick Hendrick tried to work out a deal with DEI regarding the No. 8 but Teresa refused saying the car still had great sponsorship value.

This season DEI and Chip Gnassi Racing merged, making Earnhardt Gnassi Racing. A merger that would never have been necessary if Dale Earnhardt Jr. had been able to stay with DEI. Mark Martin had driven the No. 8 with U.S. Army sponsorship in 2008. When Martin left DEI, the U.S. Army moved it’s sponsorship to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009. This left Aric Almirola and the No. 8 with only limited sponsorship. They ran a few races but then the money ran out forcing Earnhardt Gnassi racing to shut down the No. 8 team.

And so the questions remain, were the sponsorship problems due to the economy or just due to poor management and bad decisions on the part of Teresa Earnhardt? If Dale Earnhardt had still been running DEI would things have been different? If Dale Earnhardt Jr. was still driving for DEI would things have been different? In the minds of many the answer would be, yes. Everything would have been different for DEI and for the No. 8.

Sadly, we will have to wait and see what the fate of the No. 8 will be. A number that once had thousands of fans in red waving from the grandstands. Tattoo’s and NASCAR spirit soared with the No. 8 as it roared around the track. The No. 8 was a symbol of the continued love and respect that the NASCAR community and the fans had for the Earnhardt family. Now it will set on the sidelines and wait and hope for a future that may not come.