Earnhardt RCR or Hendrick Racing bound
Although he’s spoken to Earnhardt Jr., car owner Rick Hendrick said Saturday “there’s no room at the inn" for NASCAR’s most popular driver.
Earnhardt Jr. is leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc., his late father’s company, at the end of the season. He wants to stay with one of the top Chevrolet teams so he can contend for championships, and Hendrick is the best in NASCAR right now with eight wins in the past nine Nextel Cup races.
Richard Childress Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing are the next best Chevy teams, and both owners have indicated they are interested in speaking with Earnhardt Jr. Only Hendrick had been silent on the issue, but as he walked toward pit road before Saturday night’s Nextel All-Star Challenge, he said he was maxed out with four drivers right now and couldn’t fit Earnhardt in his stable.
“We’re good friends and I’ve talked to him, because I really want him to make the best decision and do the best thing for himself," Hendrick told The Associated Press. “But right now, I’m full." ThatsRacin.com
05/07/07 The “Robert Yates" NASCAR brand will remain a Ford brand, even in any merger with Dale Earnhardt Inc., according to sources familiar with the Yates-DEI negotiations.
However Earnhardt, who has been the heart of DEI, insisted he will be in Chevrolets again next season, no matter what.
Those two facts make the DEI-Yates negotiations peculiar, particularly since Earnhardt has been negotiating a new contract with DEI owner Teresa Earnhardt, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. demanding controlling interest in DEI.
If DEI officials are negotiating a possible switch to Ford, then Earnhardt would clearly appear to be not involved with those talks.
Which would mean if Yates and DEI do come to terms, it would almost certainly be a Yates-DEI merger without Earnhardt in the mix. There has been rampant speculation the past few days that Earnhardt may be moving to either Richard Childress’ Chevy team or Rick Hendrick’s Chevy team. Winston-Salem Journal