"We knew Teresa didn't want that for us" - Kelley Earnhardt addresses leaving DEI for Dale Jr.'s racing future

JR Motorsports co-owner Kelley Earnhardt recently talked about her reasons for parting ways with Dale Earnhardt Inc. along with her brother Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kelley Earnhardt served as the manager for Dale Jr. when the latter moved from Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) owned by their father, to Hendrick Motorsports.

In a conversation with former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace, Kelley Earnhardt talked about the time when they moved away from DEI to focus on Dale Jr.'s racing future in NASCAR. Kelly elaborated on the decision that she and her brother Dale Jr. made professionally and personally. Kelley said [at 11:05]:

"To make the decision to leave Dale Earnhardt Incorporated and everything that we knew had been built for the benefit of Dale (Junior) and I."

"Knowing that's what our dad (Dale Earnhardt Sr.) wanted for us and that we were letting a piece of that down even though he wasn't here to talk with us about it, but we knew in our hearts that was like a letdown. Because we knew. But then we knew that Teresa (Dale Earnhardt's wife) here didn't want that for us," Earnhardt Miller added.

Kelley Earnhardt also claimed that this move set the path for her and NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jr.'s racing career post-DEI. From negotiating with Joe Gibbs Racing to Richard Childress Racing and finally landing a ride with Hendrick Motorsports in the #88 Chevy. Apart from that, the Earnhardt siblings also achieved sponsorships with the National Guard and Mountain Dew.

Dale Earnhardt Inc. was a former NASCAR team founded by the seven-time Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt and his wife Teresa Earnhardt. Dale Jr. made his debut for DEI in the NASCAR's top-tier division in 1999, piloting the #8 Chevy. However, in the late 2000s, DEI had to shut down as they faced financial problems and the exit of NASCAR legends Michael Waltrip and Dale Jr. from the organization affected the team altogether.

---

Kelley Earnhardt and Dale Jr. to recoup the #8 trademark ownership

Teresa Earnhardt, the wife of the NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, took over the intellectual property ownership after the death of Earnhardt Sr. in a last-lap crash at the Daytona 500 in 2001. Due to this, the #8 DEI trademark ownership also went to Dale Jr. and Kelley's stepmother, Teresa.

According to Dale Jr. on an episode of the Dale Jr. Download podcast, the trademark expired recently on June 3 and Teresa hasn't renewed the trademark.

"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," the 49-year-old Dale Jr. said [at 28:54].

According to reports, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Holdings LLC applied for ownership of the trademark even before the expiration date of the #8 trademark.

Dale Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt await confirmation of the ownership of the No. 8 as it holds significance in their lives.