RELATIVE TO YOUR CONTRACT WITH DEI, HOW IMPORTANT IS TEAM OWNERSHIP TO YOU? “It’s not a big deal to me. I never said it was a big deal to me. There are other things in the contract. I haven’t talked to Teresa (Earnhardt) one on one. So I don’t know what certain aspects we need to sit down and discuss yet. So I can’t say what is holding the process up. (WHERE DID THIS OWNERSHIP RUMOR COME FROM?) “I don’t know. I guess people were speculating on the (contract) hold up or what could be the situations of disagreement or circumstances that need to be compromised in the contract between me and Teresa (Earnhardt). I guess that was one of the things that people thought might be my interest but it’s really not. I don’t really find interest in ownership at this particular time. I enjoy the Busch Series team that I have and I’m only 50% owner in that. But it’s fun and I’m learning as far as that goes. That’ll be the experience that will tell me whether I want to have anything to do with ownership down the road. Right now, this is enough. I haven’t even gotten to where I want to be as a race car driver. I’ve got a long way to go as a race car driver. Ownership is just way, way out of the picture right now.” (ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT THIS CONTRACT ISSUE IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW? THE MEDIA THOUGHT THIS WAS SIGNED AND OVER WITH LAST JANUARY?). “I knew it was going on and we just didn’t particularly have any interest in sharing information with anybody. But you know me when I’m asked a question. I can’t help but give an honest answer.” (DID THAT GET YOU IN TROUBLE?) “Well, it looked a little poorly upon myself. And it did put the company in a little bit of a strain.. We’re trying to seek sponsors for the No. 1 Chevrolet and we don’t need any mysteries about what I was going to be doing next year. My initiative it to try to find sponsors for the No. 1 car and try to put a driver and a team together on every level of that company that can run good. So my interests are very similar to the ownership side of it. And I want to drive well for my Bud car. I really enjoy those guys and I’m having a great time. I never thought about it. I entertained the idea for driving for somebody. You always do that. You daydream about everything in the sport. But it was never anything I ever thought would be a reality. But on the other side of that, I’m definitely out to get what I feel like I deserve. As sure as everybody can be about me driving the No. 8 car for as long as I drive, I’m not going to do it for free. I would expect to get paid and get compensated as I would for anywhere else in this business.” (HOW ABOUT BUDWEISER AND DEI – ARE THEY SIGNED?) “Budweiser of course, in doing the smart thing, is going to wait until our issues are secured until they can sign an extension. They want to definitely know that everything is in place. They’re like everyone else – including the press – and everybody else out in the public. They don’t know the whole story. And (they) don’t really know my true feelings. If they did, I feel like everybody would just calm down about it. My mind and my heart are in driving the No. 8 car and it always has been.” AND…. UPDATE: HIGHLIGHTS OF Q&A’s WITH CHILDRESS AND THE MEDIA: DALE JR. RECENTLY CREATED A STIR WHEN HE SAID HE WAS A FREE AGENT.. DO YOU EVER SEE HIM DRIVING FOR RCR?) “No, not as long as DEI (Dale Earnhardt Inc.) is going and their doors are open, I think you’ll see him racing for DEI. I know what Dale’s (Earnhardt) plans were for DEI and where he wanted to see Jr. and Kerry race. I hope that if he ever did decide to race somewhere else that he would come and talk to me and would want to drive an RCR car.” (HAS HE EVER DONE THAT?) “No, not really. We haven’t sat down and talked about it directly.”(GM PR’s)(8-17-2003)
