May 19, 2007 3 min read

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) – Dale Earnhardt Inc. has merged its engine program with Richard Childress Racing, an alliance that likely will help DEI return to prominence. DEI has been in a slow decline since Dale Earnhardt’s 2001 death, and star driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. is leaving at the end of the season because he doesn’t think he can win championships at DEI.

His stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, hopes that merging engine programs with RCR will strengthen the organization.

“This backs up what Teresa said last week – her commitment is solid, and her No. 1 priority is to win championships,” John Story, general manager of DEI, said Friday. “This is the first of a few big things we are going to do to continue moving toward that goal of winning championships.”

DEI officials believe the merger shows the team is resilient and will move on without Earnhardt Jr.

“When you get knocked down like we did the last week and a half, you come back fighting,” said Richie Gilmore, director of motorsports.

“We wish Dale Jr. all the luck in the world. But we have to take our company to the front and take it to the point of winning championships. We don’t want to back up on our goals at all.”

The first collaborative engine is scheduled to be used at Daytona International Speedway in July, and Earnhardt Jr. believes the partnership will strengthen the team.

“I think that’s a great move,” he said. “I was telling Richie this time a year ago that all the Chevy teams ought to consolidate to one engine program. Depending on the teams you brought in it would cut the cost tremendously.

“I think it’s an awesome idea because the sport’s getting so damn costly now. As far as performance wise, both of ’em got a little to offer each other.”

Childress said last week that he’s interested in signing Earnhardt Jr., and the engine deal with DEI isn’t expected to affect those efforts.

“That wouldn’t impact my decision,” Earnhardt said. “Absolutely not.”

The merger is similar to an agreement the elder Earnhardt once had with Childress and Andy Petree. The “RAD” partnership pooled resources from all three teams to build a program for restrictor-plate races.

The partnership was successful, as the three teams spent several seasons with the most competitive cars at Daytona and Talladega.

Now they’ll try for the same success again.

“It really makes sense for us to put our programs together,” said Childress, who fielded cars for six of the elder Earnhardt’s seven championships.

“Looking at their stuff, looking at our stuff, we’ve got great people, great products and we just want to be better. We’re looking really further down the road with this thing – a couple of years down the road. We feel we can only be more powerful in numbers.”

The engines will be used for the six combined Cup teams that DEI and RCR have, the Busch programs for both organizations and Kevin Harvick’s Busch team, too.

RCR currently has lease agreements with several teams, and all will use the motors produced from this venture.

With the new DEI-RCR agreement, the engine program will be housed in a separate facility from both race shops, and managers from both teams will oversee it.

“The biggest thing this does is make both teams grow bigger,” Gilmore said. “We both need more space. We both need bigger buying power. When you put the Earnhardt and Childress names together, that’s tremendous firepower.”