Where is Dale Earnhardt Going?

As we all know, Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced his intentions of leaving DEI this past week. Rumors started to fly before time trials at Darlington were done. Some news reports already have him driving his dad's old number 3 for Richard Childress Racing. This is not true. Earnhardt Jr. is going to explore all his options. Although it is evident that Budweiser will go with him as his main sponsor, not too much is clear.

Dale Jr. said he has a good rapport with Chevrolet and would like to stay in a Chevy. This narrows his options quite a bit. Of the 35 Nascar teams, only 9 are full time Chevrolet teams. The 2008 regulations state that any one team can only have 4 drivers. So we are left with Ginn, Childress, and Gibb.

Ginn Racing is a family company. They have stated that they are not sure they would like Budweiser as a major sponsor for one of their cars. They have not ruled out the possibility of Earnhardt Jr. coming over to their team, though.

As far as Little E going to Childress and hopping in his dad's #3 car. That is most likely, not going to happen. Earnhardt Jr has said that he just doesn't feel comfortable doing that. In an interview with Darrell Waltrip, Dale said that his father built the legacy of that car. He does not want to take away from that. When asked, in the same interview, what Dale Sr. would think about his son's decision to leave DEI, Inc., he stated his father would support him no matter what.

So does that leave Gibb Racing? Everyone familiar with Nascar know that Tony Stewart and Dale Jr. have a great friendship. The two have been known to drive together almost as team mates. In Dale's 2004 victory at the Daytona 500, it was Stewart who was pushing him to the finish line.

There is even speculation that Dale could just drive for himself. Being the owner of JR Motorsports has it's advantages. So far they have stuck to the Busch Series in racing. Yet, as we learned this month, anything can change in racing.

So what does Theresa Earnhardt say about Dale Jr.'s leaving? In her press announcement on DEI's website, she states that the company is sorry for her step-son's decision. She feels confident that DEI is a strong company, with many good drivers, and will continue to thrive.

No matter what Dale Earnhardt Jr. decides, there will always be the die hard race fans there to support him and the Earnhardt legacy.