Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s 'Wicked' Stepmother, Teresa, Is About To Infuriate NASCAR Fans

Teresa Earnhardt, the widow of the late Dale Earnhardt and stepmother to Dale Earnhardt Jr., is back to playing all sorts of mind games with NASCAR fans over DEI. 

Nope, not that DEI. Frankly, though, they're both just awful at this point. It's basically just a pick your poison situation when it comes to NASCAR's DEI versus the woke DEI. They're both silly, and both need to be sent to the sun. But that's another story. 

Right now, we're talking about Dale Earnhardt Incorporated – the defunct NASCAR race team that went to hell decades ago after a nasty war between Teresa and Dale Jr. The feud, which we'll get to in a minute, is still simmering today, believe it or not. 

The latest move, courtesy of Teresa: Filing – and getting approval – to renew the trademark on the No. 1 through 2031. 

How did the Teresa Earnhardt, Dale Jr., DEI war begin?

I don't want to get too much into the weeds this morning with trademarks and legal nonsense that you don't care about, so I'll try to keep this short and sweet. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and stepmom Teresa had a major falling out back in 2008 because Junior 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. 

The battle over DEI has been a little more subtle over the past decade or so, but there have been little nuggets of info that have leaked over the years that make you say … oh. 

For starters, Teresa apparently once said that DEI would simply "make another Dale Jr." if he ever left the team. Not great! And also, very wrong.

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. 

See a trend? It's happening right under our noses. 

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. 

OK, I guess that wasn't short and sweet, but whatever. You're here, so you might as well get educated. 

Anyway, Teresa and DEI still hold the trademarks for the 1 and the 8. They obviously don't own the numbers, which are currently being run over at Richard Childress (Kyle Busch) and Trackhouse (Ross Chastain), but they own the rights to sell any Steve Park or Dale Earnhardt Jr. merchandise from those DEI years. 

Don't know how well Park's No. 1 stuff would sell nowadays, but I'd imagine throwing a couple Budweiser Dale Jr. shirts in merchandise haulers on Sundays would do well. Just a guess. 

What sort of game is Teresa playing with NASCAR fans here?

Which brings us to today. Right now. Wednesday. 

As of today, Teresa still hasn't filed to renew the trademark for that No. 8. 

NASCAR fans have been pissed off for years now because she still owns it and refuses to give it back, but that … could end next month. 

This little video went viral on NASCAR Twitter over the weekend, and explains that June 3 is the last day to file for renewal, and why this could be an olive branch extended by Teresa to Dale Jr.

See? Don't you dare tell me you're not getting smarter today!

Of course, this could also be Teresa Earnhardt playing her signature petty card (not the Richard kind!) to an absolute tee and waiting till June 2 to begin the renewal process. 

Personally, I choose to believe that one, because A) it's more fun, and B) it's pretty believable. 

This chick basically told Dale Earnhardt Jr. to hit the bricks and kiss her ass way on the way out, and she's been holding DEI hostage ever since. 

And by the way, there's also a reason she filed for the No. 1 trademark months ago. While the fallout between Junior and Teresa was bad, it didn't hold a candle to Ty Norris:

See? She's NUTS. 

Make another Dale Jr. 

Yeah, OK. Sure. Give 'em hell, Teresa!

Anyway, Ty is now the president over at Trackhouse Racing, which, of course, runs the No. 1 car. You can go ahead and connect the dots as you see fit. 

Long – looooong – story short, Teresa Earnhardt and DEI hold the rights to the 1 for the next seven years, but the 8 is still up in the air. 

We know she hates Ty Norris, but is the feud with Dale Jr. about to end? NASCAR fans don't think so, but I reckon we'll see. 

As always, I'm just here for the content.