Enough For The Eight? Junior Denies Report Of DEI Offer

Earnhardt Jr. Looking To Take Control Of DEI

NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been offered a 51% ownership share in DEI, according to a source cited by David Newton of ESPN.com. DEI President of Global Operations Max Siegel acknowledged that Earnhardt “has been offered ownership in the company,” but would not discuss percentages. Siegel added that he has “worked hard to address everything that Earnhardt and his sister, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, have asked for,” including putting both on the BOD. But Earnhardt indicated that “no deal has been reached and he declined to discuss whether 51[%] would give him the type of control he wants.” Earnhardt Jr.: “We still have some other things in the contract to work out” (ESPN.com, 4/19). ESPN’s Angelique Chengelis: “The ball is totally in (Earnhardt’s) court. Max Siegel told me that they have not heard one word yet whether Junior has accepted this deal” (“NASCAR Now,” ESPN2, 4/19). But when asked about the ESPN report that he had been offered a 51% share, Earnhardt said, “If that was the case, I’d know about it.” A source said that he “wanted majority ownership ‘in effect, not just on paper.’” In Charlotte, Jim Utter writes that “would tend to diminish the likelihood he would agree to a [BOD] or similar arrangement, which would limit his authority” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 4/20).