The "Lost" Earnhardt

Where is Jeffrey Earnhardt and why is it so hard to find him? He’s already famous: just look at his last name. Yet the poor guy is just sitting, waiting and twiddling his thumbs. When DEI was still DEI, the company signed him to a contract in the same year that his uncle Dale Earnhardt Junior jumped ship. Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing announced late last month that they were hoping to secure sponsorship for the driver to get in a few Nationwide races for 2010, if nothing else.

So once again, why is it so hard to find this kid? He’s the grandson of Dale Earnhardt, the nephew of Dale Junior, the son of Kerry Earnhardt and his step-grandma owns a race team. Yet he’s just sitting on the sidelines and watching everyone else pass him by.

It wasn’t that long ago that he was being touted as the next hot star on the NASCAR circuit and the one to watch. There was talk by some in the garage that he had the same style and talent of his grandfather and given the right car and equipment, he might just drive his uncle under the table. So why doesn’t he have a ride.

If you’re a sponsor and your looking for a driver right now, why the heck wouldn’t you look at him? He’s a good looking young guy with a lot of talent and a famous last name. Gillette should be tripping over themselves to sign him as their next “Young Gun”, while alcohol companies eagerly await his 21st birthday this summer. Teresa should just be able to say his name and ask for help and wait for the companies to start tripping all over each other. Maybe this economy is worse than we thought…
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Photo Courtesy of Flickr User Royalbroil