tool name
closeLet's all try and cool our jets,
Earnhardt Jr.'s sister suggests
No deals done, no teams out, Elledge says
DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
Wednesday, May. 23, 2007
People already trying to rule things in or out about where Dale Earnhardt Jr. might drive in the 2008 Nextel Cup season are getting ahead of themselves, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge said Wednesday.
“I think a lot of people are drawing conclusions,” said Elledge, the driver’s sister who is also helping to negotiate his next deal in the sport.
Earnhardt Jr. announced two weeks ago he won’t return to Dale Earnhardt Inc., where he now drives the No. 8 Chevrolets, after his current contract ends following this season.
Most of the speculation, it seems, has been in trying to figure out which teams - for various reasons - might not be in a position to add Earnhardt Jr.
Joe Gibbs Racing, for instance, isn’t willing to take on Budweiser as a primary sponsor. Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick told the Associated Press, “Right now, we’re full,” in terms of having four drivers signed beyond 2007. And Richard Childress Racing has a deal to merge its engine operations with DEI, which some took as a sign Earnhardt Jr. won go to RCR.
But Elledge said Wednesday that no bets are off.
“The process has not reached a point where we have eliminated options,” she said. “All of our options remain viable until we have 100 percent decided on one.”
Elledge, who also is vice president and general manager of JR Motorsports, which fields Earnhardt Jr.-owned cars in the Busch Series and other developmental racing series, said that since that announcement she has fielded even more calls than she expected to get.
“We have gotten tons of support from the industry and more importantly our fans since we have made the announcement to leave DEI as a driver,” she said. “I have received more calls that expected, but the more options the better.
Elledge said she and Earnhardt Jr. have put together what they’re looking for in the next deal for him as a driver, and that conversations with various owners have started.
As Nextel Cup teams reconvene today at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, where qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 is scheduled for tonight, the big question remains when those talks will come to a conclusion.
“We communicated that by mid to late summer we would definitely have our position solidified,” Elledge said. “Obviously, if we want to make the most out of this change, a date no later than August 1 would be best, due to sponsor point of sale, advertising, licensed products and other things that need time to be developed and produced."