DEI debuted in the Winston Cup Series in 1996 with the No. 14 Racing for Kids Chevrolet driven by Jeff Green at Pocono Raceway. Robby Gordon also drove the car that season at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In 1997, sponsored by Burger King, Steve Park drove the car in four races. In 1998 the team switched the number from No. 14 to No. 1 in an agreement with Richard Jackson for $100,000, and began competing with DEI sponsorships from Pennzoil.
In 1998, Park suffered a broken femur, collarbone and shoulder blade in a crash during practice at Atlanta. Three-time champion Darrell Waltrip drove the car for 13 races during Park's recovery, finishing in the top 10 twice. In 1999 Park finished in the top 10 five times. In 2000 he won his first race at Watkins Glen International and finished 11th in points. In 2001, in the first race after Earnhardt's death, Park beat Bobby Labonte in a photo finish at North Carolina Speedway. Park was subsequently injured in a Busch Series race at Darlington Raceway when his steering wheel disconnected; Kenny Wallace filled in during his recovery. In mid-2003 Park was relieved of his duties and replaced by Jeff Green.
The No. 8 car was formed to bring Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the Winston Cup Series, using the number formerly used by Stavola Brothers Racing. Earnhardt Jr. drove five Cup races in 1999, making his debut at Charlotte in the 1999 Coca-Cola 600. He moved to full-time in 2000, winning two poles and three races including The Winston — becoming the first rookie to win that event — and finished runner-up to Matt Kenseth for NASCAR Rookie of the Year. On 7 July 2001, Earnhardt Jr. won the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, the first Cup race at Daytona after Earnhardt Sr.'s death. Using the No. 8, Earnhardt Jr. set a record by winning four consecutive races at Talladega Superspeedway.
In 2002 Earnhardt Jr. suffered an April concussion at the NAPA Auto Parts 500 — an injury he did not admit to until mid-September — but rallied to sweep both Talladega races that year, leading 133 of 188 laps in the spring race. In 2003 he recorded a career-best third in the standings with 13 top 5s and 21 top 10 finishes. On 15 February 2004, six years to the day after his father's Daytona win, Earnhardt Jr. won the Daytona 500. He won five further races that season. On 10 May 2007, Earnhardt Jr. announced he would not return to DEI for 2008; on 13 June 2007 he confirmed his move to Hendrick Motorsports.
In 2001 DEI entered the No. 15 NAPA-sponsored car with Michael Waltrip as driver. In his first start for DEI, Waltrip won his first race in his 16-year career at the 2001 Daytona 500 — a win immediately overshadowed by Dale Earnhardt's death. Between 2001 and 2003, Waltrip won four races: three at Daytona and one at Talladega. After two disappointing seasons without a win, including a 25th-place points finish in 2005, Waltrip announced he would no longer drive for DEI, taking the NAPA sponsorship to Bill Davis Racing before creating his own team. For 2006 the No. 15 moved to a part-time schedule with Paul Menard, DEI's Busch Series driver. After the merger with Ginn Racing, the No. 15 team absorbed the owner points of the No. 14 car, guaranteeing a spot in each race for the remainder of 2007.
In 2005 DEI ran a part-time schedule with Martin Truex Jr. making seven starts in the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet. The team returned to full-time in 2006, collecting five top 10s and finishing 19th in points. On 4 June 2007, Truex scored his first career Cup victory in the No. 1 car at Dover International Speedway in a COT race, also qualifying for the Chase for the Nextel Cup — the last DEI driver to do so. At the end of 2009 Truex left for Michael Waltrip Racing.
Before running under the DEI banner the No. 01 team operated as MB2 Motorsports with drivers including Ernie Irvan, Ken Schrader and Joe Nemechek. MB2 changed its name to Ginn Racing to reflect Bobby Ginn's new majority interest. Mark Martin was signed to drive the 01 for 20 races in 2007. At the Daytona 500 Martin was leading on the final restart but was beaten to the line by Kevin Harvick by two-hundredths of a second. Martin scored 11 top 10s in 24 starts, finishing 27th in points despite missing 12 races. On 25 July 2007, DEI merged with Ginn Racing; the No. 01 team joined the No. 1, No. 8 and No. 15 teams.
On 12 November 2008, DEI and Felix Sabates' Chip Ganassi Racing merged their NASCAR operations into one organisation. Rechristened Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and relocated to CGR's shop, the combined entity effectively switched to Chevrolets. The No. 42 team joined the No. 1 and No. 8 for the 2009 Sprint Cup season. In 2014 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing reverted to the Chip Ganassi Racing name before being sold to Trackhouse Racing Team in 2021.
In the 2008 AMP Energy 500, Regan Smith crossed the finish line first in the No. 01 car but was found upon video review to have passed below the yellow line, resulting in an 18th-place finish. Smith became the first rookie to finish every race he entered during the 2008 season and was named Rookie of the Year. The No. 01 team disbanded following the Ganassi merger.
DEI competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series from 1995 through 1999. Ron Hornaday Jr. drove the No. 16 Chevrolet C/K, sponsored by Papa John's Pizza in 1995 and NAPA Auto Parts from 1996 to 1999. Hornaday collected 25 wins for DEI and the 1996 and 1998 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championships.
Chance 2 Motorsports was a jointly owned subsidiary of DEI and Dale Earnhardt Jr., operated by Earnhardt Jr. and Teresa Earnhardt as a separate operation from DEI. The team won two Busch Series championships with Martin Truex Jr. in 2004 and 2005, in addition to 16 races with Truex Jr. and Earnhardt Jr.
DEI, Richard Childress Racing and Andy Petree Racing partnered to form the RAD Engine Program in the late 1990s. Their first win was at the 2000 Winston 500 with Dale Earnhardt, his 76th and final Cup victory. The programme ended after Petree withdrew in 2003.
Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines (ECR) was formed in May 2007 through cooperation between DEI and Richard Childress Racing to develop and build engines for Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series and Nationwide Series teams. A standalone facility north of Salisbury in Welcome, North Carolina was completed in mid-2008, employing 130 technicians.
Earnhardt Technology Group (ETG) was created in August 2009 to assist up-and-coming teams, providing engineering and parts services to more than thirty teams across the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series.
On 29 April 2010, at the time of Earnhardt's induction to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, DEI announced a partnership with JR Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing and Wrangler Jeans for a tribute race in which Earnhardt Jr. would drive the No. 3 Chevrolet Impala in a blue and gold paint scheme honouring the car Earnhardt drove in the 1980s. Earnhardt Jr. started third, led 33 laps and won the Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway on 2 July 2010 — the last occasion on which DEI was involved in the NASCAR garage. The Dale Earnhardt Foundation was established to continue Earnhardt's legacy through charitable programmes and grants focused on children, education and environmental preservation. DEI maintains a showroom at its former race shop in Mooresville where fans can purchase memorabilia.
This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.
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