Now that he's had time to think about it, missing memorabilia at DEI angers Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The Associated Press

Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008

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LAS VEGAS – A mix-up over memorabilia has created hurt feelings with Dale Earnhardt Jr., while his former team claims it’s all a misunderstanding.

Earnhardt Jr. said Monday he’s upset that all signs of his stint at Dale Earnhardt Inc. had allegedly been removed from the shop. First told of the absence of his memorabilia last week, he originally said he didn’t care.

But at the first day of testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Earnhardt Jr. said time to think about it had made him mad. He said the team members that were part of his Daytona 500 victory and two Busch Series championships should be recognized at the shop.

“It sort of hurt my feelings that it’s sort of a hack at even the guys that are still there and have worked on that car,” the driver said.

“To not see the accolades or any sort of appreciation for the work that they did, and they’re still there.”

The absence of Earnhardt Jr.-related items was noticed by media who attended a luncheon at DEI last Wednesday. The driver left his late father’s company at the end of last season, and he’ll drive for Hendrick Motorsports this year.

But Max Siegel, president of DEI, said Monday that the team has Earnhardt Jr. memorabilia on display and “about nine of his old cars” had been moved off the showroom floor to make room for the luncheon.

“There seems to be some confusion over memorabilia and merchandise,” Siegel said.

“We no longer have a relationship with Dale Jr. or Budweiser, so we have no license, agreement or business reason to sell any of that merchandise in our gift shop. But as far as memorabilia, more than half of the showroom floor is dedicated to Dale Jr.’s history here.”

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