Dale Earnhardt Jr. Gets Honest About His Wicked Stepmother After Finally Defeating Her

Dale Earnhardt Jr. fired up the NASCAR community last month when he finally took back his rights to the famed No. 8 copyright from wicked stepmother Teresa Earnhardt. 

And now that the dust has finally settled, he's talking about it. 

For those who missed it – and I don't know how you could've if you read OutKick, because I covered it like the OJ trial – Earnhardt made a play for his old No. 8 copyright, which, for years, has been owned by DEI. 

No, not that DEI! The good kind of DEI. Dale Earnhardt Incorporated. 

Anyway, Dale Sr.'s old team has been manned by Teresa Earnhardt since Dale's death in 2001, and it's come with a ton of friction. We'll get to that in a bit. Long story … long? 

Earnhardt Jr. defeated Teresa – known to fans as the ‘Wicked Witch of NASCAR' – last month, and he seems pretty comfortable letting bygones be bygones:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. brings No. 8 back to NASCAR after beating Teresa

I mean, I don't think Dale and his stepmom are going out for Budweisers any time soon, but it does sound like Earnhardt no longer holds any ill will towards her. 

Oh, why would he do that, you ask? Well … strap in. 

Teresa Earnhardt has been judge, jury and executioner of DEI ever since Dale Earnhardt Sr. died back in 2001. 

Because of that, the Earnhardt Clan has turned into the biggest soap opera in NASCAR. I'm talking yelling, screaming, finger-pointing, threatening to quit, actually quitting – the whole nine yards. It's a mess. Well, it was a mess, at least. 

Junior and Teresa had a blowup back in 2008 because Earnhardt and siblings Kerry and Kelly wanted equal ownership rights to DEI. That didn't work out, Dale left for Hendrick, and Teresa instantly became public enemy No. 1 in the eyes of NASCAR fans. 

Whoooooooooooof. Yikes. 

The battle over DEI has simmered a bit in recent years, but there have still been little nuggets here and there that make you raise an eyebrow. 

For instance, Teresa apparently once said that DEI would simply "make another Dale Jr." if he ever left the team. Yeah, and I have some ocean front property in Arizona for you!

There was also Dale not being allowed to take the No. 8 with him to Hendrick, Teresa reportedly stopping Kerry Earnhardt – Dale Earnhardt's oldest son – from launching a line of homes called the "Earnhardt Collection," and the Kannapolis Intimidators changing their name in 2019. 

Why? The minor league team – now known as the Cannon Ballers – cited their inability to market the team due to trademark rights held by Earnhardt’s estate. 

I could go on and on, but I won't. It's a Saturday, and we all have things to do. 

Anyway, fast-forward to May, and Teresa and DEI finally loosened their grip on the iconic No. 8 trademark by not renewing the rights to it. Junior and his team swooped in and grabbed it, and all is finally right with the world again. 

Whew. What a saga. The Earnhardts are nothing if not absolute #content machines for NASCAR, I'll give them that. Judging by Dale's recent comments, it seems that all may be just about over, though. 

Sad. We love content around here. Who knows, maybe Teresa will pull the rug out from under us one day. 

We can only hope!