Junior ‘absolutely’ intends to stay with DEI

So when Junior says he "absolutely" plans on staying at Dale Earnhardt Inc., and continuing to drive the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet, believe him. "We're working towards a solution," Earnhardt said. "It's where I've been for so long. It's where I'd love to be. There's really no new updates as far as what we went over in Daytona, but Max (Siegel, DEI president of global operations) is a great guy. He's talented, and I think he'll do a good job at DEI, and I think he's going to learn it even faster than I thought he would.

"The more he knows about the sport and the more he can relate to the sport, the better he'll be able to make his judgment calls, 'cause a lot of his early decisions will be judgment calls because he can't base it on any experience in racing. So when he needs a hand, hopefully he'll ask the right person to get that kind of advice."

Earnhardt, who was filling his Winner's Circle obligations for Las Vegas Motor Speedway at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino on Thursday, said most of his contracts have "taken a long time." At the NASCAR banquet in December, Junior said he expected an announcement by May. However, it's not likely that he anticipated the accompanying firestorm. Throughout the negotiation process, Junior has learned not to let personal feelings enter into the equation because it clouds the decision process. FOX Sports