Randy Sartin-Imagn Images
Sep 20, 2024; Bristol, Tennessee, USA; NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88) during driver introductions for the Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Nearly a decade after his retirement from full-time racing, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is still one of the biggest names in the NASCAR world. However, what those fans may not know is that Earnhardt Jr. nearly lost the rights to use that very name.
Anyone who has ever received an autograph from the NASCAR Hall of Famer will notice that the signature simply reads “Dale Jr.”
Earnhardt Jr. recently revealed on the “Dale Jr. Download” podcast that part of the reason for that is brevity. However, a larger reason stemmed from a legal battle over the rights to the Earnhardt name.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Had To Take His Name Off His Car
After the tragic passing of his father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., at the 2001 Daytona 500, Earnhardt Jr. continued to race for the Dale Earnhardt Incorporated team, owned by his father and then, after his father’s passing, his stepmother Teresa.
That’s where things get a bit murky. For years, there was an ongoing legal battle involving Teresa and three of Earnhardt’s children, Dale Jr., Kerry, and Kelly.
When Kerry planned to use the Earnhardt name for one of his businesses, Teresa filed a lawsuit blocking the use of the name.
In fact, Kelly Earnhardt-Miller revealed in an interview that the children aren’t even allowed to visit their father’s grave on Teresa’s estate.
“She’s so extreme that we might get arrested,” Kelly said.
Ultimately, Earnhardt Jr. began to just put “Dale Jr.” on the side of his car. He also began to sign his autograph that way, and it stuck.
When Teresa denied Earnhardt Jr. a stake in Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, he left the team for Hendrick Motorsports. The race team went under just a handful of years after.
Safe to say Teresa Earnhardt may have won some battles. But she clearly lost the war.