Lowe's Motor Speedway president H.A. 'Humpy' Wheeler, right, jokes with Dale Earnhardt Jr. about his contract talks with DEI during a news conference at the track in Concord, N.C., Tuesday.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. came to Lowe's Motor Speedway Tuesday to help promote the track's upcoming events, most notably the Nextel All-Star Challenge on May 19.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the event's signature moment, the "pass in the grass" pulled off by Dale Earnhardt in winning what was then known as The Winston.
"The greatest move ever made in the history of NASCAR, maybe even all of motorsports," speedway President Humpy Wheeler said of that moment, in which Earnhardt maintained control of his car and kept the lead in the 10-lap final segment despite being run into the infield grass.
"Nobody ever got a car that sideways in the grass, and he was maybe the only one who could have saved it," Wheeler said.
Earnhardt Jr. was at that race and said the move demonstrated the "unimaginable will" his father had to win that day.
Still, Wheeler knew Earnhardt Jr.'s contract negotiations with Dale Earnhardt Inc. would be the first topic on the minds of the media. Wheeler tried to defuse that by offering Earnhardt Jr. a deal to do several jobs at the speedway, including tram driver and Victory Lane etiquette coach, in return for .51 percent ownership of the track.
Earnhardt Jr. immediately started negotiating for a reduction in duties. Negotiating, of course, is something with which he has become accustomed.
ESPN reported last week that Earnhardt Jr. had been offered 51 percent ownership of DEI. But Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, Earnhardt Jr.'s sister and his lead negotiator, denied any such proposal was formally made. Then, The Associated Press reported Monday that its sources indicated the 51 percent ownership came with a $55 million asking price.
As a result of that flurry, Earnhardt Jr. said Tuesday that both sides have reaffirmed an agreement not to say anything more until a deal is done. He also said both sides have been working positively on a new deal.
"It has not been `if' at all," Earnhardt Jr. said of a possible deal. "We've both worked together, and it's all been positive. We're just trying to work on it without any press, which is kind of difficult. ... We like to do this on our own terms here."
Earnhardt Jr. said his fans needn't worry about what could happen. Elledge said last week a deal needs to come together within 30 to 45 days.
"I always look at everything as whatever happens happens," Earnhardt Jr. said. "You do the best you can. ... I go 100 percent every day and do my best.
"The good Lord's going to take me wherever I go in life. I'll be fine.
