Dale Earnhardt Jr. confirms move for No. 8 trademark after step-mother Teresa lets DEI filing lapse 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has revealed his next move after his stepmother Teresa Earnhardt refrained from renewing the iconic #8 font owned by her through Dale Earnhardt Inc. This comes after the trademark expired on June 3. Since no bid from Teresa regarding the renewal surfaced, Junior expressed his desire to keep the number within the Earnhardt household.

DEI was founded in 1980 by the 7x Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt Sr. and fielded three cars in the then-Busch Series; the #15, #8, and #1. However, after the tragic demise of the 'Intimidator' during the 2001 Daytona, the ownership of DEI and its intellectual property rights were transferred to his third wife, Teresa.

A few years back, Teresa released #15 but held the iconic #8, belonging to Dale Earnhardt Jr., and #1. The trademarks were due for renewal on June 3 this year. Moreover, on May 14, nearly a month before the expiration of the #8 trademark materialized, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Holdings applied for its ownership.

Junior's stepmother did renew the trademark, but of #1, not #8. Since Teresa has decided not to renew her rights to the #8 logo, the next benefactor is Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Junior outlined the importance of #8 in the legacy of the Earnhardt family and revealed the reason behind his and sister Kelley Earnhardt's move to acquire the rights.

"As far as I know, Teresa hasn’t re-upped for that trademark. And Kelley and I both were interested in acquiring ownership of that. I just want to say that my feelings around this are very plain and basic," Junior said via Dale Jr. Download. (28.54)

“I either want Teresa to have it, and if she were to come in and re-up, I’d be totally comfortable and happy about that or I would like to have it. I would love it to stay either hers or mine and not end up somewhere else," the retired NASCAR legend emphasized keeping the iconic number's ownership within the family boundaries.

"I have a lot of trust in her"- Dale Earnhardt Jr. comfortable with Teresa re-acquiring the #8 font

Dale Earnhardt Jr. stepped into the realm of Cup Series racing in 1999. He kicked off his debut run at the Coca-Cola 600, fielding the #8 Chevrolet for DEI. During his stint with his father's team from 1999 until 2007, Junior amassed countless achievements in his iconic #8 car.

Bagging the 2004 Daytona 500, the Budweiser Shootout in 2003, and four consecutive wins at the Talladega Superspeedway (2001-2003) are some of the noteworthy triumphs that the North Carolina native achieved with his #8 Chevy. Hence, the number has carved a special place in Junior's heart and the Earnhardt family.

Despite that, Junior revealed being "completely fine" if his stepmother wished to re-acquire the #8 rights, which at the moment, is up for grabs by the two-time Xfinity Series champion and Kelley.

Earnhardt Jr. spoke about trusting Teresa to protect the family's legacy.

"There’s one thing I’ll say about Teresa is in terms of owning a trademark and protecting things like that, protecting our legacy and our family name, I have a lot of trust in her around those things," Junior said. (29.33)

"She’s very smart, very savvy, always thinking, she takes emotion out of business decisions and says ‘this is what’s fair, this is what’s right.’ And so in terms of this, I would be completely fine if she re-acquired the trademark,” the 49-year-old added.

So far, Teresa hasn't applied for the resurrection of her ownership and hence, the #8 logo would be Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley's after the United States Patent and Trademark Office gives a nod to their application.