What Would Dale Sr. Say About Jr. Leaving?

I remember vividly that fateful day in February 2001, pictures of Dale Earnhardt and his namesake, laughing and smiling, and in a matter of few hours life as they knew it was changed forever. It was hard for me then to accept that my all time favorite driver had been killed at a track that he had so much success at. A track where his best friend Neal Bonnet lost his life seven years earlier. But in all that sadness, I don't think it would have compared to the sadness Dale Sr. would have felt if he were alive today to see his son walk away from the team he had built for him. My father always lived by the rule "Blood is Thicker Than Water", and I think that rings true in this situation.

Why was it so difficult to come to an agreement with his step mother over ownership of the team? Dale Earnhardt Jr. doesn't strike me as being a difficult guy or one who can't be reasoned with. Maybe the problems with his relationship with his step mother were so far reaching and unrepairable. But how would Dale Sr. feel if he were alive today? Would this same situation be played out with the team under his control? I have to feel that he built this team with the plan of handing it over to his two son's and still find a way to satisfy his immediate and extended families. As the old saying goes, you can choose your friends but not your family, it rings loudest in this sad situation. Oh well, I guess as in life, all things come to an end, although it being a very sad one. Rest easy Dale Sr., maybe now Jr. can win that championship that has eluded him.