Inside Teresa Earnhardt and Dale Jr’s relationship: A look into the NASCAR icons' complex family history
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, have shared a strained relationship that eventually turned into a public feud in the mid-2000s. Tensions escalated in the years following the death of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Sr., after which his widow, Teresa, assumed control of Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Dale Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt were born to Brenda Gee, Dale Sr.'s second wife. The couple divorced shortly after Junior's birth, and the siblings initially lived with their mother. However, after their home was destroyed in a fire, they moved to Dale Sr.'s residence in 1981. Dale Sr. went on to marry Teresa Houston in 1982.
Dale Earnhardt's death in the opening round of the 2001 season sent shockwaves through the NASCAR community, but it dealt the biggest blow to DEI, as Teresa Earnhardt took control of the team. Without Dale Sr.'s vision, the organization was left in disarray, with team executives later opening up about a lack of communication under Teresa's leadership.
Former DEI executive Ty Norris once revealed that Teresa had not paid Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip for three months in 2003. Norris recalled tensions escalating as Dale Jr. confronted his stepmother, yelling at her over the breach of contract. Despite the growing cracks, the #8 Chevy driver put together a six-win season in 2004, but things only went downhill from there.
Disputes emerged over the ownership of rights to Dale Jr.'s name, which was controlled by Teresa through DEI. In a 2006 interview, Junior admitted he sometimes wished he didn't share the same name as his father. Around this time, he entered into contract negotiations with Teresa, as their feud unfolded like a public soap opera.
According to reports, Dale Jr. and his sister Kelley demanded a 51% stake in DEI, a proposal Teresa refused. As a result, NASCAR's most popular driver left the team for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008, marking one of the biggest driver moves in the sport's history, while Teresa quickly became an unpopular figure.
Teresa Earnhardt continued to run DEI, which had fallen into the doldrums after losing key sponsors. In 2009, the team merged with Chip Ganassi's organization, rebranding as Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. This partnership lasted until 2014, when Teresa and DEI exited the sport. She still oversees the Earnhardt business ventures, managing the licensing and trademarks associated with the brand.
Teresa was also involved in a legal dispute with Dale Sr.'s son Kerry over his use of the Earnhardt name in his business. Recently, Kelley Earnhardt revealed that she and her siblings were never allowed to go through their father's prized possessions after his passing. She admitted they are not welcome to his grave site, fearing they could be arrested by their "severe" stepmother.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. admires one aspect of Teresa Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was reunited with his iconic #8 DEI font last year, after Teresa Earnhardt chose not to renew the trademark. Junior expressed appreciation for her business decisions and her efforts to preserve the Earnhardt legacy. He described his stepmother as a smart and business-savvy individual.
During the transfer of the trademark last year, the NASCAR Hall of Famer said in an episode of Dale Jr. Download:
"There’s one thing I’ll say about Teresa is in terms of owning a trademark and protecting things like that, protecting our legacy and our family name, I have a lot of trust in her around those things. She’s very smart, very savvy, always thinking, she takes emotion out of business decisions and says ‘this is what’s fair, this is what’s right.’" [26:52 onwards]
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Teresa Earnhardt co-owned a Busch Series team, Chance2 Motorsports. Martin Truex Jr. won back-to-back championships with the team in 2004 and '05, after which the team was shut down. Dale Jr. then continued with JR Motorsports, with Rick Hendrick merging his Xfinity Series outfit with JRM after signing him.