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LAS VEGAS - Dale Earnhardt Jr. doesn't have much of a poker face.
So when Junior says he "absolutely" plans on staying at Dale Earnhardt Inc., and continue to drive the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet, believe him.
"We're working towards a solution," Earnhardt said. "It's where I've been for so long. It's where I'd love to be. There's really no new updates as far as what we went over in Daytona, but Max (Siegel, DEI president of global operations) is a great guy. He's talented, and I think he'll do a good job at DEI, and I think he's going to learn it even faster than I thought he would.
"The more he knows about the sport and the more he can relate to the sport, the better he'll be able to make his judgment calls, 'cause a lot of his early decisions will be judgment calls because he can't base it on any experience in racing. So when he needs a hand, hopefully he'll ask the right person to get that kind of advice."
Earnhardt, who was filling his Winner's Circle obligations for Las Vegas Motor Speedway at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino on Thursday, said most of his contracts have "taken a long time." At the NASCAR banquet in December, Junior said he expected an announcement by May. However, it's not likely that he anticipated the accompanying firestorm. Throughout the negotiation process, Junior has learned not to let personal feelings enter into the equation because it clouds the decision process.
When Dale Earnhardt Sr. built DEI it was with the purpose of creating the ultimate family business. Certainly, if he was still alive, there would have been no question as to whether Junior would ever leave the company. So what would Senior think of the hullabaloo surrounding the latest round of negotiations?
"My Dad, I don't know," Junior said. "That's a tough question to answer. He's been gone for several years now, and I don't really know what he'd think of all this. I don't have any of those answers."
As one of the top ambassadors of NASCAR, one answer Junior does have is how to build the NASCAR audience. And he's been able to leverage his own popularity outside the traditional stock car racing boundaries to attract a larger fan base. Junior's "realness" is one of his most endearing qualities and comes across in everything he does. It's why NASCAR fans have voted him most popular driver four years straight. His creative outlets, such as "Back in the Day" on SPEED or his XM radio show, have only strengthened his relationship with that fan base.
"I understand that when fans are watching us race, it's a whole lot easier for them to get into it if they know somebody," Junior said. "I'm easy to relate to, and I think that's why I think we have so many core fans. I'm easy to relate to, they feel very close to me, and that really involves them when they're watching us throughout the season."
So when Junior says he "absolutely" plans on staying at Dale Earnhardt Inc., and continue to drive the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet, believe him.
"We're working towards a solution," Earnhardt said. "It's where I've been for so long. It's where I'd love to be. There's really no new updates as far as what we went over in Daytona, but Max (Siegel, DEI president of global operations) is a great guy. He's talented, and I think he'll do a good job at DEI, and I think he's going to learn it even faster than I thought he would.
"The more he knows about the sport and the more he can relate to the sport, the better he'll be able to make his judgment calls, 'cause a lot of his early decisions will be judgment calls because he can't base it on any experience in racing. So when he needs a hand, hopefully he'll ask the right person to get that kind of advice."
Earnhardt, who was filling his Winner's Circle obligations for Las Vegas Motor Speedway at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino on Thursday, said most of his contracts have "taken a long time." At the NASCAR banquet in December, Junior said he expected an announcement by May. However, it's not likely that he anticipated the accompanying firestorm. Throughout the negotiation process, Junior has learned not to let personal feelings enter into the equation because it clouds the decision process.
When Dale Earnhardt Sr. built DEI it was with the purpose of creating the ultimate family business. Certainly, if he was still alive, there would have been no question as to whether Junior would ever leave the company. So what would Senior think of the hullabaloo surrounding the latest round of negotiations?
"My Dad, I don't know," Junior said. "That's a tough question to answer. He's been gone for several years now, and I don't really know what he'd think of all this. I don't have any of those answers."
As one of the top ambassadors of NASCAR, one answer Junior does have is how to build the NASCAR audience. And he's been able to leverage his own popularity outside the traditional stock car racing boundaries to attract a larger fan base. Junior's "realness" is one of his most endearing qualities and comes across in everything he does. It's why NASCAR fans have voted him most popular driver four years straight. His creative outlets, such as "Back in the Day" on SPEED or his XM radio show, have only strengthened his relationship with that fan base.
"I understand that when fans are watching us race, it's a whole lot easier for them to get into it if they know somebody," Junior said. "I'm easy to relate to, and I think that's why I think we have so many core fans. I'm easy to relate to, they feel very close to me, and that really involves them when they're watching us throughout the season."
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