~*~The Media~*~

BEFORE OR EARLY April

Comments from Larry McReynolds:

I don't know a lot about Max Siegel, and part of Max's job is to make sure publicly it sounds like they're going to get this contract done. I wouldn't expect Max Siegel to stand up in public and say, "I don't know if we're going to get this done or not." That's part of his job description. Kelley Earnhardt Elledge is playing a big role on Junior's side of the fence, and Siegel is obviously playing a big role on DEI's side of the fence. But if Dale Earnhardt Jr. as the driver and Teresa Earnhardt as the owner can't sit down and sort through their problems, I question it. They may get it done without Teresa and Dale being in the same building, but even if they get it done, success is always going to be a question because of that relationship between the owner and the driver. I don't care if they've got four Max Siegels and four Kelley Earnhardt Elledges

BEFORE OR EARLY April

Q: I’ve read that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has set a timetable for getting his contract with D.E.I. signed. That sounds to me like he and his sister are turning up the heat. Is there really a chance Dale Jr. won’t resign with D.E.I., or is this just simply the next step in the process? — R.T.
A from Matt Taliaferro : A bit of both, I assume. Earnhardt, Jr. and sister/business manager Kelley Earnhardt Elledge have given the D.E.I. brass 45 days to get this deal done. If they don’t have an agreement in place by Memorial Day weekend, I’d say the odds of Junior donning the No. 3 go up exponentially.
If I were betting my Mustang, though, I’d say they’ll get the deal ironed out. D.E.I.’s new guru of all things global, Max Siegel, is too savvy a guy to let an asset like Dale Earnhardt, Jr. slip through the company’s fingers. Hopefully, Siegel also realizes that the management at D.E.I. is merely running the place like a museum…not a race shop. I can’t help but think Junior would change that for the betterment of all the race teams.

APRIL 19, 2007: THE BIG LIE FROM MaxChevy.com

Teresa already has agreed to 51% of DEI for Dale Jr.? The Dale [Earnhardt] Jr. / DEI contract negotiations continue and the influence of ace negotiator Max Siegel may be bearing success. One contact told me [MaxChevy's Glen Grissom] on the down-low that the 51% (or majority ownership) that Dale Jr. requires to stay with DEI has essentially been negotiated – agreed to by Teresa Earnhardt. But that she, in turn, is requesting that an independent, impartial review board be set up within DEI that would take into consideration and review any major operational changes that Dale Jr. would want to take place – acting like a board of directors it seems to me [MaxChevy's Glen Grissom], with Dale Jr. basically reporting to it. So far, this has been balked at – but stranger management structures have survived in the business world. All parties say they want to have the contract resolved by May, so with April half-over, it’s crunch time.

"I just want to get some wins and some good finishes and concentrate of what we're doing on the track," he said.

A story on ESPN.com Thursday said Max Siegel, president of global operations at DEI and the team's chief negotiator, said Earnhardt has been offered ownership in the company but would not say what percentage.