OPINION

By Bob Pockrass

updated 3:39 p.m. ET Feb. 14, 2007

The biggest question going into 2007: Where will Dale Earnhardt Jr. be in 2008?

That's a question that makes the legion of Junior fans shudder, but it's one that has become highly relevant now that Earnhardt and his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, are negotiating his future with the team.

Could he really abandon Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team his late father started and built with the idea that it would one day lead Junior to a NASCAR Cup championship?

If he isn't given a sizable ownership piece of DEI, is he truly willing to part ways with the family legacy?

Those are tough questions. Yet the possibility he will move makes other drivers and teams salivate. Many want Earnhardt to get out from under the family cape. And if he doesn't get a chance to run the organization Teresa owns, some think he should drive for Richard Childress, one of his father's best friends and the man who helped The Intimidator to six of his seven Cup championships.

Earnhardt could even drive the No. 3 car his father made famous. The merchandising opportunities -- especially if accompanied by a championship -- would be surreal.

But for now, despite all of the public comments the past two months that have demonstrated there isn't a tight bond between Teresa and Junior, it would seem he is leaning toward staying at DEI for one compelling reason: Right now, it's still the best place for him to win a championship.

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Earnhardt likes his team and crew chief Tony Eury Jr., his cousin. They won only one race in 2006, but they gained a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup and ran in the top 10 most weekends.

So as far as the race team and his racecar -- the two most important things in Earnhardt's world -- it's all good. He has too much to lose if he leaves right now.

Earnhardt has been through enough changes with his crew, and he doesn't want to start over with another new group. Sure, RCR could hire some of his crew away from DEI, but it's doubtful RCR would take the entire team.

What would Childress do if he could hire Earnhardt? He'd certainly be tempted to pull the best guys away from his current drivers, but how would Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton react to that? How would Earnhardt fit in with Harvick, Burton and Clint Bowyer?

Still, Childress would be a fool not to have a contract ready for Earnhardt to sign. There already are rumors that a deal between Earnhardt and RCR is virtually done.

Before he would sign with Childress, though, Earnhardt would have to think about how much pressure would be on him and his team. They would be expected to win nearly every race, lead every lap and pummel the competition. There would be no more excuses that the company behind him isn't run well enough to win the title. The craziness that would surround such a move might be even more than Earnhardt could handle.

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Certainly, Earnhardt holds the cards in the negotiations. But no matter what his relationship with his stepmother is ("It ain't a bed of roses," he says), his performance on the track and his relationship with his team are most important.

That is probably why everyone at DEI wants the contract dispute resolved quickly. DEI doesn't want Earnhardt to wonder whether he might be better off with another organization.

If his season doesn't start well, expect the negotiations to get more strained and his decision to be more difficult.

And if the negotiations drag on, expect them to be played out in the media again. Teresa and Junior know how to push the media's buttons to get their points across.

In most contract talks, it's often about the money. Earnhardt says it's not about money, and that may be partially true. He wants to be happy, have fun and win.

As long as DEI shows it can provide that scenario, he'll sign on the dotted line.

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