One year after Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s failed purchase of his late fathers company, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., the company appears to be on the market again. However this time, the buyer is not a family member. Max Siegel, President of Global Operations at DEI is currently in negotiations with major investors to buy Teresa Earnhardt out of DEI, a source close to the negotiations said Monday.

Last year, Earnhardt Jr. negotiated for an extended period of time with his stepmother and co-founder of DEI Teresa Earnhardt for a controlling interest in the family business. There were many issues that kept the deal from coming together in addition to the biggest one, money. They allegedly haggled over the split of the percentage of winnings, merchandise revenue, the organizations growth goals, and legacy planning. When it got to the point that Teresa felt Earnhardt Jr. had asked for too much and was simply trying to insult her, the deal fell apart and Earnhardt Jr. decided to leave the only organization he had ever driven for to try his luck elsewhere.

It appears now that Teresa is finally willing to sell, and Siegel is working diligently with a number of potential investors to take the company over. Sources said Siegel would not just be buying a portion of DEI or a controlling interest, rather, he would be buying the entire company. Sources said, Teresa has agreed to walk away from the company entirely for the right price. That price is supposedly somewhere between $115-$130 million dollars. With one exception...Teresa would retain the rights to all "Dale Earnhardt' and 'Intimidator' rights and merchandise sales. Siegel would only be buying the DEI race teams, and real estate including all race shops and the DEI headquarters in Mooresville, NC. Sources said Siegel is very serious about the purchase and appears to have investors salivating over the opportunity to own the legendary team. In addition, Teresa has grown more frustrated with NASCAR nation following her fall-out with the sports most popular driver, and wants nothing more than to be out of the public eye for good.

Sources also said, Siegel met this past weekend in Daytona Beach with representatives from the 'Hard Rock Hotel and Casino' for a possible sponsorship opportunity with one of DEI's Sprint Cup teams. There has been speculation that the #8 team and Aric Almirola may lose their U.S. Army sponsorship to Red Bull with Scott Speed. Hard Rock could replace the U.S. Army or could end up on the #01 of Regan Smith who is also looking for sponsorship. - John 'Captain Thunder' Nevins for www.captainthunderracing.com