Dale Earnhardt Jr Holds Ground Against Begrudged Stepmother, Hoping to Reclaim the Intimidator’s Legacy

It looks like Dale Earnhardt Jr might finally win the battle to get hold of the trademark rights for his late father’s iconic #8 logos used by DEI. Teresa Earnhardt and Dale Jr were in disagreement over the ownership of #8 after the passing of The Intimidator. Despite an ugly public battle between Dale Jr and his family, the ownership of DEI was passed on to Teresa. However, according to recent reports, it looks like Teresa has conceded possession of the #8 logo, which now allows Dale Jr to claim it.

Is Teresa Earnhardt looking to make amends after all?

Ever since Dale Earnhardt’s death, Teresa has controlled everything that has an association with DEI. To this date, she controls the use of the intellectual property of the DEI. Teresa did let go of the trademark for the #15 team, which was driven by Michael Waltrip. But the #1 and the #8 are still left with her, which are now due to expire next month.

Last year, in June, she filed for the renewal of the #1 trademark, following the episode of Dale Jr. Download, which featured the former DEI President, Ty Norris. During the podcast, Junior and Norris shared their experience working with Teresa at DEI. Which certainly wasn’t appreciated by her. However, despite the differences she’s had with Dale Jr over the years, now it seems like she just might let go of it all.

Interestingly, Teresa has decided not to file a renewal for the trademark of the iconic #8 number. Which, in turn, allows Dale Jr to make his move. A post shared by BrakeHard on X states that “Dale Earnhardt Jr Holdings has applied for the #8 trademark that is set to expire on June 3, 2024.” The application was filed by DEJ Holdings on May 14 and is currently under process.

Dale Jr obviously would have known that Teresa wouldn’t be filing for trademark renewal. At least that would be the theory for him to register and apply for ownership of the #8 logo. It is hard to believe that Teresa is letting go of her hold on the trademark, knowing that she can make a claim. But given the current circumstances, if everything goes well, Dale Earnhardt Jr will be rightly taking over the reins of the iconic No. 8.

It looks like Dale Jr is making all the right moves. Apart from staking his claim for the ownership of the #8 DEI team, he recently secured a new podcast deal with SiriusXM. That would see the radio giant have exclusive advertising rights to Dirty Mo Media’s podcast show, which will air twice a week on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

SiriusXM is looking to tap into Dirty Mo Media’s fan outreach

It looks like Mike Davis’ work behind the scenes is finally paying off. When Davis decided to step away from Dale Jr. Download to take the reins of the brand as the President, many fans were reluctant to see him depart from the studio. But given the recent collaboration with SiriusXM, both Dale Jr and Davis seem to have made the right call.

While business deals come with new changes and plans, nothing of the sort will happen with Dirty Mo Media and the way they operate. Mike Davis, making an appearance on DJD Reloaded, assured the fans by stating, “If you’ve accessed any Dirty Mo Media show, that’s still the way you can continue to access it. Nothing changes there. SiriusXM, they bought into what we’re trying to build. They liked us for what we are, they’re not trying to change us. That matters to me.”

Sarah Van Mosel, SiriusXM’s SVP of Podcast Strategy, expressed her excitement about teaming up with Dale Jr and Dirty Mo Media. “This not only bolsters the strength of our podcast offerings, but the addition of the ‘Dale Jr. Download’ to the SiriusXM NASCAR Radio channel enhances the programming available to our SiriusXM subscribers. This is another great example of the unique ways SiriusXM and talented creators like Dale and his team can work together.”

Dale Jr has always been open to ideas that could further elevate his production company. With a long list of successful shows like Dale Jr Download, Actions Detrimental, and Door Bumper Clear, this partnership could further unlock more potential for growth and whole-hearted content for NASCAR fans to enjoy.