Backseat Blonde - DEI in Disarray?

June 6, 2005

DEI in Disarray?
By Allison Wagda

Criticizing any Cup team or driver is a sure-fire way to
gain the enmity of some fans. Taking on the mess at DEI
may very well take down my Web server and haunt my e-
mail inbox for weeks.

Bring it on.

I don’t care how much you idolize Little E, how cute you think he looks in that Bud-red
fire suit, or how much you loved his daddy. The House That Dale Built is in serious
trouble. Right now, both drivers are out of the farce of a championship, change
happens almost weekly and controversy surrounds the teams.

Now, before you completely flame me and start calling me all sorts of names
because I dare say the truth, let me say that I like Junior and Mikey. Dale Jr. was the
driver solely responsible for attracting my interest in NASCAR racing, back when he
was in the Busch series. He was my favorite driver for a long time, and today
remains one of several for whom I root each week.

I’m not normally one of his detractors.

There’s just something about a down-home dude who drinks Bud, loves video
racing so much he installed a T-1 Internet line into his house for better bandwidth,
looks like he’s just rolled out of bed when he shows up to races and speaks his
mind without fear. I’ve held off writing this column for a couple of months, hoping my
sneaking suspicions things were heading south would prove false.

Unfortunately, I was right. It has been a slow descent, but marked nonetheless. At
this point, I doubt even Dr. Phil could help that company muddle through its issues.

Just four years ago, DEI was a world-class racing organization. The Garage Mahal
was at the center of a racing dynasty in the making, and the trio of Dale Jr., Michael
Waltrip and Steve Park spent 2001 making fans cry as they honored the legacy of
Dale Earnhardt the best way they knew how. Junior in turn even helped heal the
NASCAR nation with his patriotic victory lap following the Dover race immediately
following the September 11 attacks.

The cracks in DEI’s armor first began to appear publicly when Park was
unceremoniously ejected from the #1 car and replaced by Jeff Green. While Park had
been struggling, many Sparkies will remember that many of his wrecks were not his
fault. Plus, as we discovered once Green took the wheel, Park had not been given
the equipment matching the quality of the other two teams.

With Park’s departure, Junior lost a confidant in the garage. He mentioned many
times how close they were as friends, and that he appreciated his presence. Without
Park, the chemistry between the three teams seemed to quickly evaporate. Green
was cast as an outsider, a temporary filler at best, and Pennzoil finally decided to
invest their marketing dollars elsewhere.

And then there were two.

In an era where mega teams are the norm and test sessions are as valuable as
gold, DEI found itself losing its throne. Pressure grew intense to produce a
championship trophy.

It appeared to fans that DEI was concentrating all its efforts on helping Junior attain
that title. Waltrip became something of a support system for Junior, and even Junior
fans starting expressing frustration when Mikey would race his teammate for a win
rather than take solace with second. They said Waltrip wasn’t a team player.

Then, rumors started surfacing that Mikey’s job was not secure. Dale Jr. himself
fueled that speculation with off-the-cuff comments in post-race interviews. It became
clear the two weren’t quite as friendly as those NAPA commercials suggested.

At the time, I remember wondering if DEI was trying to undercut Waltrip’s efforts or
use him as a scapegoat when Junior’s runs were less than stellar. But in retrospect
I think Junior’s comments were more a symptom of a greater problem at DEI…a lack
of understanding in how to optimize a race team by upper management.

Sometime last fall I was on a media teleconference with one of NASCAR’s top crew
chiefs (who will remain unnamed). He offered some interesting insight when a
reporter asked about the atmosphere in their office after a disappointing run. He
explained how the team would meet and go over where they went wrong, and how to
fix any problems so they don’t come up again. Mistakes were acknowledged but
blame was not assigned to anyone personally.

Then, he said something interesting. I’m paraphrasing, but he said something to the
effect of, “Heads roll at that other team (referring to DEI) when Junior has a bad race.
Fingers are pointed, and everyone pretty much tries to duck out of the fray for three or
four days.”

Didn’t strike me as a very positive work environment, or one conducive to keeping
your top talent on board when other teams are happy to steal your best people and
pay them more.

Perhaps that explained the departure in January 2004 of Ty Norris, one of DEI’s top
executives. Reports at the time said Teresa Earnhardt, widow of the late Dale
Earnhardt and head of DEI, had restructured the management of the organization
and had assigned Norris to a lesser role, a move essentially asking any exec to pack
their bags.

There have been other high-profile defections to other teams as well, likely causing
internal turmoil and making other employees nervous about their future.

At the end of the 2004 season, we saw a very odd move by DEI’s management. They
swapped the entire #8 and #15 teams, crew chiefs, cars, tire changers and all.
Rather than address individual weaknesses in either team, management apparently
decided something drastic needed to be done despite a very honorable showing by
Dale Jr. in the 2004 season, especially considering the burns he suffered at
Sonoma mid-year.

At the time, I knew the swap would hurt Junior far more than Mikey. Dale Jr. had
worked with the Eurys for much of his career, and despite their at-times contentious
relationship I worried a new crew chief would be a tough adjustment for him.

And based upon what Junior said, he hadn’t been consulted about the change in
advance. Again, very odd.

So then Rondeau stepped in. The mild-mannered crew chief was never really given
the power to do his job well from the very beginning. Since being let go a week or so
ago, Rondeau has said the two teams never shared information. That again can only
be blamed on management. If execs dictate that teams work together, they will.

Then came reports that Rondeau’s multi-year contract had never been signed. Now,
I’m no legal scholar, but it seems to me if you offer someone a hiring contract, have
him sign it before starting the job, then actually have him begin to fulfill the
responsibilities, that’s an implied contract. The fact that it was never signed by DEI is
not only suspicious, it sounds like Rondeau was deliberately misled in my opinion.
They dangled a golden carrot in front of him, made him work for it, then ate it
themselves when they figured he wasn’t up to snuff.

If the management at DEI is struggling, then who is at fault? I can’t claim to know any
of these people personally, but ultimately management problems usually stem from
lack of leadership at the top. And that would unfortunately mean Teresa.

And now, back to Junior.

The guy has an inordinate amount of pressure on him for sure. He marked his 30th
birthday last October and, while he’s definitely scored big on the popularity front his
performances have been inconsistent. He has flashes of pure brilliance followed by
inexplicable missteps.

And while he has plenty of time left in his career to land that championship trophy, it’s
becoming more and more unlikely in today’s hyper competitive racing scene he’ll
match his father’s accomplishments. It can’t be easy trying to live up to a legend.

Despite Junior’s easy-going persona, he has been known to be something of a
loose cannon. One radio exchange between Junior and Tony Eury Sr. at Sonoma a
few years ago stands out in my mind. I was listening on my scanner from the stands
while Junior continued to struggle on the track. The convo went something like this
(close paraphrasing…it has been a few years).

“(Junior complaining about something)”

Eury Sr.: “Junior, don’t give me your shit.”

Earnhardt (almost screeching): “Shit? You want shit? This car is shit! The f**king
steering wheel is f**king upside down! That’s shit!”

I would just love someone to talk that way to me, just so I could tell them where they
could stick their shit.

But I can’t really fault a driver for getting frustrated behind the wheel. It’s not like
Junior is all alone when it comes to voicing anger on the radio. That being said,
when that frustration materializes into impatience like we saw at Charlotte, it can
affect on-track performance.

I also think Junior is too often distracted by off-track happenings rather than directing
all his focus toward winning. He graces commercial after commercial, appears at
MTV awards shows, poses for magazines and much more. He is everywhere.

And while that’s all great for selling diecast cars and ball caps and beers and auto
parts and rental cars and vitamin supplements and razors and pizza and blue jeans,
it can’t help him win races. Popularity and fame aren’t the makings of a legacy,
success is.

Personally, I blame the marketing distractions on DEI, especially since Junior is their
main cash cow. While I suspect he’d love to put his foot down and concentrate solely
on racing, he must feel the weight of carrying the paychecks of the hundreds who
work for the company. Because without him, where would DEI be?

So then, how does DEI regain its rightful place as a force in NASCAR?

First, the company needs to find Dale Jr. a crew chief he can respect, one that will
take him in hand and help coach him to victory rather than placate him by giving him
all the control. Teresa needs to give this crew chief the power to do this. Yes, we all
know at the end of the day Junior is the master of his own destiny, yet he doesn’t
seem to yet realize he needs someone to help him attain his goals, not just listen to
his orders.

And DEI needs to steal someone quick from Roush or Hendrick who can help them
master the new car rules.

Junior also needs to take control of his emotions and see past whatever checkered
flag is waving that day. Wrecking Mikey rather than patiently wait for the right time to
make his move was an indication of a greater issue.

Winning a title means playing the game strategically. Junior clearly has the talent,
now he just needs to focus and support to translate that talent into a championship.

And as much as this probably won’t be popular, DEI should consider hiring
someone to run the organization as a business. I’m not saying Teresa should leave
by any means (after all, it is her company now), and I give her tons of credit for
picking up the pieces after Dale Sr.’s tragic death.

But there are serious issues throughout the company, and if DEI wants to return to
prominence, fresh leadership is likely the best place to start. That, and perhaps a
merger to compete in the mega-team era.

Anyone have a number for Richard Childress?

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