It's A Girl Thing: Why the Bashing of Teresa Earnhardt has Bigger Implications

Originally posted on Foxsports blogs on September 13, 2007.


This week's hot conspiracy theory is that Dale Earnhardt Jr's five DNFs for engine failure are the direct result of his evil step-mother, Teresa Earnhardt's actions.  Blinded Dale Jr. fans theorize that his stepmother deliberately sabotaged his engines to punish him for leaving the family business and defecting to Hendrick Motorsports.


Here's the quick list of why this is a ridiculous theory:  (1) She isn't an engineer and lacks the knowledge to damage an engine to make it fail with just 5 laps left.  (2) If she had help, think how many people would have to keep this quiet (plus, when was the last time we saw her at the track?)  (3)  Failing to make the Chase damages DEI's chances at getting sponsorship dollars (4) Wouldn't rubbing in a Championship as Junior jumps ship be sweeter? (5)  Merchandise sales.


The more insidious and unspoken insult is that a woman can't (and shouldn't) run a successful Nascar company. 


Teresa Earnhardt is the only woman running a multi-car team.  Realistically, she's the only woman running a Cup team (BAM barely counts).  Heck, throw in the IRL/Indy Car Series, and she's still the only one.  But anytime there is a problem at DEI, we get ludicrous conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory.  Heck, the only thing she hasn't been accused of this year is killing Elvis. 
Did we bash Jack Roush when he lost the reigning Champion to Penske?  Did fans skewer Chip Ganassi when he threw in the towel on Casey Mears?  Was Hendrick's dumping of a rookie of the year and a young man his dead son handpicked touted as a bad business move that didn't make sense?  No. No. And No.


So why take a owner to task when she lets a driver go who hasn't won a race this year,  barely won a race in each of the last two years and fails to qualify for the Chase half of the time?  Obviously, there is a family dynamic at work in this situation, but that should cut both ways.


Nascar's anti-woman feelings have run deep and long.  Look at the insults and lack of help given to Janet Guthrie.  Women weren't allowed in the pits and finally Stevie Waltrip broke through by being listed as an owner.  For a more recent candidate of the "women are evil" sentiment, look at Erin Crocker, who was singlehandedly the reason Jeremy Mayfield couldn't win and Ray Evernham couldn't run a company.


Instead of looking for dark shadows behind every engine failure, Everyone should be looking at why a female owner is being scrutinized and held to a standard male owners are not.  Why is it OK to write these horrible things about her when she isn't doing anything illegal,  but the same sources won't write, theorize or complain when one of those male owners is indicted and convicted of a federal crime?


Seems like a double standard to me.