In a World of Men, the First Female Team Owner Makes Her Mark

While it’s true that Teresa Earnhardt is thesomething negative, in this case casting Teresa as
owner and CEO of Dale Earnhardt Incorporated,the evil stepmother of NASCAR. When Dale Jr.
many people think that she inherited the title afterannounced his intentions to leave DEI after the
the death of her husband in 2001, which isn’t2007 season, it meant much more than a driver
true. Even before that, Teresa was a co-ownerjust moving to another team. There were the
with Dale.issues of sponsorship (the major sponsor,
Say the name Teresa Earnhardt and people thinkBudweiser opted not to move with Dale), and the
and say a wide range of things, some of whichissue of the #8 that Dale used on his car.
isn’t printable here. Why is it that this NorthTeresa Earnhardt requested part of the licensing
Carolina born daughter of a sportsman racer andrevenue, as well as the number back once Dale Jr.
niece of a legendary Busch Series driver hasretired, which he refused. As a result, he will be
gained so much of a reputation, both good anddriving the #88 with Hendrick Motorsports in 2008
bad? You may as well ask why it is that any timeand the #8 will remain with Dale Earnhardt
any woman breaks into the world of men theyIncorporated, which is fitting since it was driven
gain a reputation.by his late grandfather, and by his father early in
Teresa was born in 1958 in Hickory, Northhis career.
Carolina, and grew up in the world of racing. SheIn recent days, Teresa has worked hard to
married Dale Earnhardt, a driver that was lovedchange her image. In early December she held a
by some, disliked by others but respected byparty for the media, something she hoped would
everyone, in 1982. It was after meeting that thegive them a glimpse into the real person. It was
two began Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, growing itan “off the record” deal, meaning no race
into one of the most successful team ownershipsor Dale-related questions.
in NASCAR.Teresa should be seen for her business savvy
Dale Jr. says of their partnership, “Dad alwaysand as an inspiration for women. She’s hired
said that before he met Teresa he owed thetwo of the best executives in the business
bank money, and by the time they got marriedadvising her -- Max Siegel, the president of global
the bank owed him money.”operations, and John Story, the vice president of
Even though Teresa was co-owner with Dale, sheracing operations. A well known business maxim is
wasn’t thrust into the spotlight until he died atto surround yourself with the best, and she’s
Daytona. Even then, while her grief held us, it wasdone it. In 2007 DEI merged with Ginn Racing,
the court battle she fought to keep the autopsypulling in the #01 car to join the team. DEI also
pictures from being made public that held mediaformed Earnhardt-Childress Racing Technologies
attention, usually casting her in a negative lightMay 2007 as a cooperation between Dale
since the media was the one that wanted theEarnhardt Incorporated and Richard Childress
pictures. Her fight on behalf of dignity and privacyRacing to develop and build common engines for
had far-reaching ramifications as it prompted thethe Chevrolet NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and
Florida State Senate to enact the FamilyNASCAR Busch Series teams.
Protection Act, which prohibits public access to2008 will be a good year for Teresa Earnhardt
autopsy photos without a court order. Many otherand Dale Earnhardt Incorporated. The drama is
states have followed Florida’s example since.behind them and the can concentrate on winning,
Unfortunately, one of the prices of being asomething that Teresa is good at.
businesswoman is that it can be construed as