Dale Earnhardt Jr. Officially Cancels His Wicked Stepmother, And Now We Know What's Next
We now have it in writing – the Wicked Witch (of NASCAR) is DEAD. Done. Kaput. Finished. And it's all thanks to Dale Earnhardt Jr.
By now you all know the saga – Lord knows I've written about it enough over the past six weeks. Teresa Earnhardt – Dale Sr.'s widow – has finally released the No. 8 trademark back into the wild after holding it (hostage) for the better part of two decades.
And now, after spending years under the Dale Earnhardt Incorporated (the good kind of DEI!) umbrella, the famous trademark is back with Dale Jr. Back where she belongs.
Junior recently applied for it under DEJ Holdings, and is likely to acquire it next year.
Of course, nothing is ever official until … it's official. Some thought Teresa would pull the rug out from all of us, including Junior, and renew it at the last second. Frankly, I was sort of rooting for that, just to see the NASCAR world burn.
Alas, though, it did not happen – and will not happen. After doing a little Big J digging, I discovered that DEI's grip on the No. 8 trademark is officially "DEAD."
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Teresa, and the biggest drama in NASCAR
DEAD and CANCELLED in giant, all-caps, all-red letters is the perfect cherry on top of this little saga, which I admittedly knew nothing about until about six weeks ago.
Oh, you didn't, either? Let me explain! Strap in:
Teresa Earnhardt, affectionately known to NASCAR fans as the Wicked Witch of the South – seriously, they DESPISE her – 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 been a mess.
You see, 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.
See? Bat-bleep crazy.
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 starters, Teresa apparently once said that DEI would simply "make another Dale Jr." if he ever left the team. I mean, what are we doing here?
Then there was 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.
Just recently, you had the famous Intimidator rollercoaster in Carolina go through a name change. It's now the Thunder Striker because …. you guessed it, the licensing agreement with DEI expired last December.
Anyway, all NASCAR fans had given up hope on Teresa ever releasing the 8 back into the wild – can you blame them? – but here we are. What a time to be alive.
Budweisers for everyone! Earnhardt, by the way, talked about all of this a few weeks ago:
That was earlier this month – before we had official word that DEI's ownership of the #8 was DEAD and CANCELLED. Now, it's all systems go. Let's roll, baby!
PS: how about the list of things the 8 trademark can/will be used for? Some of my favorite (you can check them all out here):
- Air fresheners for automobiles (smell like Junior!)
- Knives and pocket knives (oh hell yes)
- VCR's, television satellite antennas, cable systems, and other electronic devices (I'd LOVE a No. 8 VCR)
- Compact disk accessories (that would be CD for those of you under 25)
- Three-ring binders (middle school Zach would've crushed this)
- Drinking glasses, shot glasses, cups, and mugs; hip flasks (all of these will sell out in 30 seconds)
What a list. What a time to be alive. Welcome back to the world, No. 8. You're free!