"Just plain old ego": NASCAR Insider weighs in on Teresa Earnhardt's past hold on the #8 trademark

Today, Dale Earnhardt Jr. owns the trademark for the No. 8 car and can use it in races under the banner of JR Motorsports, a NASCAR team that he co-owns. But it took over a decade for this to happen. In a recent interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s former crew chief Larry McReynolds said what he thought was the reason.

Dale Jr. used to drive the iconic car for Dale Earnhardt Inc. from 1999 until 2007. Notably, 17 out of his 26 NASCAR Cup Series wins came with it. However, when he asked for the ownership of No. 8 following the untimely demise of his father, things did not go as smoothly.

Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s widow, Teresa Earnhardt, also Dale Jr.’s stepmother, did not hand over the No. 8 ride, as well as the ownership of the legendary Dale Earnhardt Inc. Meanwhile, Dale Jr. moved to Hendrick Motorsports and took over the No. 88 machine.

Larry McReynolds, who served as the crew chief for Dale Sr. in 1997 and 1998, revealed that the reason why Teresa did not want to part ways with the No. 8 was more “ego” than it was money. What seemed weird to him was that the “ego” lasted for more than 15 years.

“What's weird is it took 15-plus years for this to come to fruition,” said McReynolds. “15-plus years for this to finally happen. I'd say it could be a part of diecast sales revenue and just plain old ego.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently ran the newly acquired, No. 8 car in the South Carolina 400, a late-model stock car race that was held at Florence Motor Speedway on November 23. Unfortunately, the race ended early for him due to a mechanical failure, and he had to settle for a 28th-place finish.

Nevertheless, the No. 8 has been tabbed to run three to five races during the 2025 CARS Tour season, a Late Model Stock Car and Pro Late Model touring series that Dale Jr. owns alongside Jeff Burton, Justin Marks, and Kevin Harvick. The series was founded in 2014 and made its official debut in 2015.

---

NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. reflects on his stepmother’s ownership of the No. 8

Dale Earnhardt Jr. can now generate revenue from selling merchandise and run the car in as many races throughout the year as the ownership agrees upon. Needless to say, this was possible because his stepmother had been keeping the car safe behind the garage.

The trademark of the vehicle expired on June 3, 2024, which meant someone had to renew it. Teresa wasn’t able to keep paying for it anymore, and ultimately, the deal fell into Dale Jr.’s hands. Speaking of the same in an episode of the Dale Jr, Download, the 50-year-old NASCAR vet said,

“One of the things that I really appreciate about Teresa, as long as she had the ‘8,’ I was very happy that it was in a safe place. I knew that it was always going to be fine. But if she doesn’t want to pay for the trademark anymore, I’m like, ‘Well we better get that.’ Because I want it safe.”

“And when we thought about doing something with it, we were like, ‘Man I don’t want to just make merch.’ But if we raced the car, then I would feel comfortable with the merch. That’s what got us talking to Budweiser about it,” he added.

Budweiser had been a primary sponsor for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the past and has been involved in the sport for over forty years. When Dale Jr. retired in 2017, Budweiser even made a commercial out of their own money. Therefore, when the duo hit the tracks for the first time in 17 years, the fans were beyond thrilled. As per reports, every single ticket for the event was sold out.