Kelly is one of if not THE smartest women in the motorsports business world. Also, she has ALWAYS had her brothers back. I admire her tremendously.

I so appreciate the fact that Kelley kept her little brother safe and made him the man he is. I also appreciate him keeping her, no matter how big he got. I'm sure there were players trying to talk their way in and they stayed together! What legends!

Kelley is a smart businesswoman and Dale Jr is so blessed to have her as his sister.

From a former buyer and contract manager (and life long race fan) of branded merchandise for a very large company, these comparative numbers against the all other teams are nothing short of amazing. This alone with no negotiations on licensing and the other 17 bullet points, demonstrate the power behind Dale Jr. and the brand that comes with him. Great story!

Dale leaving the 8 was a tough blow for me as a fan. I wish he could have taken that number to Hendrick. Never got into the 88 stuff. That was always Dale Jarrett to me.

I could listen to these stories all day. Absolutely fascinating.

You are the man Jr. Love your sister, she is so much on your side. It’s awesome to see brother and sister connected the way your family you and her are freaking awesome.

I think the greatest asset Jr has always had is Kelley. Dale admits it and damn proud to. That's one of the things he got right which made everything else go right during the switch years - There wasn't a fan of NASCAR out there that didn't pull for Jr when he had a chance. Some might of lied about it, but they know they did. I think winning, running good all those happy moments, I think fans hoped that it helped ease some of the pain for so much, he and his family had lost starting with Dale, his number, his fathers race shop. It's a pretty damn nice fairy tale still rolling happily on and on. Very cool insight!

It’s amazing to me that Teresa would rather have 100% of nothing than 50% of a nascar powerhouse. I guess she really was a hard headed person who didn’t think it through at all

I drove Dale while he was in LA filming the commercials for Amp and Mountain Dew leading up to Daytona Speed Week the year he went to Hendrick. At the time, I couldn't imagine what he was thinking during that week. So, I did my job and left him alone.

The more I learn about Kelly, the more I love her for her role in helping Dale Jr. throughout his life.

I can remember at Dover in September 2007 people wearing bootleg 2008 Dale Jr. t-shirts with a picture of the 2008 diecast renders. The paint schemes were released on a diecast render earlier in that week.

This has been one of the best , informative podcast segments ever ! Kelley and Joe are geniuses !

There have been other episodes that were funnier or more entertaining, but this was absolutely the most interesting one yet. It's not often you get to hear this much about the inner workings of the industry. Fascinating stuff.

This entire conversation with Mr Mattes is great!

And people say that Junior didn't keep Nascar going after Sr died and he wasn't a draw to the sport. BULLSHIT! Love these stories! And hopefully one day he and Kelley will own a cup team with MTJ as a partner!

Dale and Kelly formed a bond that couldn't be broke!What a blessing!Thank you both for leading by example!

I thought - Dale Jr had the best Military paint schemes back the day -

Talk about a team that does it right some very talented people sitting at that table, Kelly is such a great person and always looking after her brother, such a unique and caring person that took care of the business and her brother. Such a bond between her and Dale, damn it gives me goosebumps.❤❤❤

So good to hear the Earnhardt brand was so huge,Kelly and JR,earned and deserve every nickel.

Kelly is such a smart and wonderful person

I love Kelley. She is so together and business savvy and I envy the bond she and Dale Jr. Have. But I did call this. When Dale Jr. Made his announcement that he would be leaving DEI, I said the the company would not last a year. It was 2009 that DEI “merged” with Ganassi but everyone knew it was more of a buyout.

That Joe guy is good ! Listen to the way he speaks and explains things... His whole speech style is built around a negotiating, take control of the conversation, Selling you air, IN YOUR FACE Lowkey twang..... He knows his stats and numbers.... Kelly learned from the likes of Don Hawk and Joe among others in the marketing hayday.... I like this guy ... Quoteworthy : We're jeans and t shirts, They are "cant remember" ------. Great show TCB

Dale Jr is so lucky he has a great sister that looks out for him. I was glad when he had other sponsors besides Budweiser. I love Budweiser and Dale Jr driving the 8 but when he went to Hendrick with the 88 and National Guard/Amp it meant my daughter who is also a big Dale Jr fan (she’s autistic and loved watching for the 8 or 88 on the track) was able to wear his gear to school.

Part 2 was continued Awesome content!! went back and listened to both episodes again. Very, very interesting conversation. Mr. Mattes should write a book !!!!!

Kelley is a brilliant lady. She has always had Dale Jr's back even as a little kid. She is a keeper!

Hooooly....I never knew how all that went down. What a fascinating look into Dale moving to Hendrix. Best clip I've seen. One main take away....don't mess with Kelly 😂

Kelley is AWESOME. Smart, smart girl!!

I have relistened to this conversation multiple times cause it is so enthralling and intriguing

Kelly, I hope you continue with these wonderful intimate stories, they are wonderful.

Kelley is a Precious Gem worth more than all the money and gemstones in the world and What A BLESSING Kelley is to Dale and to everyone. Kelley is a PRECIOUS PRICELESS TREASURED BLESSING AS IS DALE JR. AND THEIR RESPECTIVE FAMILIES AND MIKE AND HIS PRECIOUS FAMILY ALSO 🙏🏻 Y'ALL ARE SO GENUINELY GOOD PEOPLE WITH HEARTS AS BIG AS ALL THE UNIVERSE 💞 I'm so happy that things worked out with GOD'S HANDS LEADING AND GUIDING Y'ALL EVERY STEP OF THE WAY 🙏🏻🙏🏻 THIS podcast is so amazing on so many levels!! Y'all are surrounded by the BEST OF THE BEST and that's really rare. Y'all are AWESOME and TRULY BLESSED AND LOVED MORE THAN ANY OF Y'ALL CAN FATHOM 💞🤗💞🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

It's nice to see great people get rewarded. What a team.

Thanks for Sharing the Business side of what a big Sister know and does for her brother and Family. Great to here just what makes a better experence and later life will be for Kelly and her brother as She doing an outstanding job. Hopefully, she enjoys the fruits for her labors as a Business leading woman in Nascar.

The Earnhardt machine! I hope it never ends. Full steam ahead ! It has been an amazing ride and I thank you guys for that. Now all we need is a cup team. I’m sure that will be a big secret too with the same type of result. I am still lost without a true Earnhardt to pull for since Jr left cup. I can’t seem to fully commit to any team in the cup series without an Earnhardt tied to it. We need a car or cars with that brand on it, in cup. Xfinity gets more of my attention now than ever because of that, and until then that’s how it will be. Long live Earnhardt!

I remember being happy Dale joined Hendrick Motorsports! I thought it was gonna be Gibbs

Jr is lucky to have his sister running the show for him

I wasn’t crazy about the last business vlog but really enjoyed this. Just gave me a greater appreciation for those Earnhardt kids. You know I wasn’t a fan back then I was a first guy always liked kenseth but such a fan of those two now and you too mike

Nothing but admiration for Kelly, me and my brother know exactly what her and Kerry E went thru, and Dale jr

I Love Kelly & yes, she sure is an amazing person & business person!!!

Kelly is a beast in business! Can you imagine her taking DEI back in the day?!

My next door neighbor R.I.P. was like a 2nd dad to me and a HUGE, I'm talking HUGE Earnhardt fan. I had always been a Diehard Darrell Waltrip turned Kyle Busch 02-03 fan. There was a fence separating our back yards and you could imagine what the talk was like on Sunday nights.😂 The only time we ever conversed good was 1998 when Darrell drove for Dale. When Jr announced the split I thought Hendrick only made sense given what happened with him and Kyle but "real" Earnhardt fans like my neighbor were definitely literally on the "fence" about it but would faithfully follow Jr anywhere. Maybe not to Toyota.😂

There are very few people who get the respect that Rick Hendrick gets. He's always referred to as Mr. Hendrick. I think that's very cool.

5:57 Thanks To Robert Yates Racing For Letting Go Of The Number 88

Had June Bug didn't have the Concussion issues later, it would have been cool if it could have worked out with Martin to work with Dale.👍 Then again Martin has done very well with Furniture Row.

I remember at the time Jeff and Jimmie were fighting like cats and dogs, and I thought JR would be a great addition to the team. I thought he would drive the 38. 3 for Sr and 8 for the Bud car history. But the 88 was an awesome choice.

Kelly you are so smart and your beauty just sets me back . Luv to see you on the show .

Dale you are one lucky guy to have a sister to take care of your back an make you what you are today she took you to the top of the sport 😊

EXACTLY They could get that leverage back if Dale would DRIVE. But Dale has to HEAL FIRST.

It’s difficult, bordering on impossible, to not massively respect someone who is in SUCH support of their sibling. I’ve never heard of a single moment in which Kelley didn’t have Dale Jr’s back, even when it might have been on an issue or something that could have been detrimental to her. Not a single moment or a single example. Just imagine having that kind of a resource be 100% behind you come what may… there’s no ‘number’ you could put on that in terms of quantifying value. (Edit/Additional): That commercial where Dale Jr is at a podium to announce his new number after moving on from the DEI #8 car, and he says it’s going to be “6.7”… genius. 🤣

Kelley is a beautiful doll baby.

Jr your the man. Old school sr. Fan here. Keep it going brother

Senior would be proud of the children, and yes Dale was lucky to have Kelly and Joe, Mike looking out for his interests. That was big money deal. Cool southern Carilina accent's from up north at Pocono.

Wasn't really a fan early in you're career in cup. Did pull for you in the Allstar race and laughed at Sr saying he was going to buy you a seedeater. Grown on me though. Especially watching you renovate the house in keys and now the down load. Keep up the good work

Dale Jr is all about the relationships ,his father and his personality. The fans are sympathetic and DJ rose to the occasion to make the Earnhardt name a multi million dollar enterprise. There are better drivers out there but the Earnhardt name was loved by many

Love It!

Very cool and interesting story

Mike seems a little surprised at the $250m number and is thinking he needs to re-write his contract! :)

Will Kelley be eligible for the NASCAR HOF? Would LOVE to see her on the ballot one day. Sheer genius behind the scenes for longer than Junior’s been racing.

MIKE DAVIS: Most Informative Segment Ever!

I remember seeing a picture circulating around the time of the HMS announcement of Dale Jr's head on a Darth Vader suit lol.

That move to Hendrick motorsports i think got Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson love and for sure Chase Elliott and William Byron, i know kyle busch gained fans by going to RCR

Wow!

Just remember Gordon's comments on Dale Sr. about licensing. Hendrick had no idea how much Gorden made by licensing. 😂😂😂

As soon as the Hendrick deal was announced I immediately bought as fast as it was released the somewhat nondescript black 88 hat with Jr. Signature and Hendrick Motorsports on it only. Still have the hat.

Kelly is just awesome!!!!

Holy Smoke!

Kelly is amazing!

Not going to RCR was the missed huge one.

The move to Hendrick clearly worked out for Dale from a financial perspective. But he certainly suffered professionally and performance-wise. 17 wins in 9 seasons at DEI, versus only 9 at Hendrick with more races ran. But Rick Hendrick had Jimmie for wins and championships. Dale is the most marketable driver the sport has ever seen, and that’s arguably what matters the most. Dollars.

I don’t think anyone understands the power of the Earnhardt name. Dale Sr was and will always be the MAN!!

I got into amp energy because of Dale Jr

WoWza🏁

270 MILLION

That was so interesting. wow.

kelly belongs in the hall of famr for what she did for the sport and as part owner of jrm

Boom…..she’s the bomb!!

Timing & leverage two business mainstays!

I would vote Kelley for president. She knows how to get stuff done on all levels and hires the right people to help.

3:03 Visa MasterCard And Yahoo 🤣

I found your merchandise site, but I don’t see any older Diecast models?

Keep up the good work!

Could you imagine Theresa on a podcast with Dale and Kelley.🤯 it would be huge but she would have to get 100% of the $ it makes. One day though it would be good to get her side

I have Kelly's 38 late model diecast.

I dunno... I get that this discussion centers around merchandising, but I can't help but wonder if Dale Jr could have been better served both performance-wise and merchandising-wise if he had gone to RCR. Even though HMS was a powerhouse at the time, it didn't really bring much racing success for Jr. Plus, it would have been pretty cool to see the 29 and the 3 running together on track. Not really sure if Harvick and Jr could have become great teammates, but I'm pretty sure that Jr would have had more than 2 wins in six years. But hindsight is 20/20 and HMS won lots of races and championships in that time.

ha the Jayski shout out...

So when dale jr. Was with DEI and didn't receive any royalties for his merchandise, who got it, Theresa? Because there was millions of Budweiser merchandise sold back then!! $$$

Did yall hear it. Fair. Love jrm

We all realize that drivers likes certain things in their car that other drivers don't, downforce, torque, gearing, steering wheel, etc. but Hendrick should have made darn sure that Dale got a championship, such a shame that everything went to Jimmie Johnson. I'm sure Jeff Gordon was monopolizing some parts and pieces also, he never really got the same page with Dale. They were both the best at Talladega but Jeff would rather hook up with Mark Martin or other drivers.

Kelly i never even realized it but you look so much like your mama girl.😊 i see your dads sisters too.

Everything's gone up in prices too that time compared 90's 🤷‍♂️

Kelly is one of the smartest people in motorsports business.

If you can find it Dale Jr has a video talking about how he was under paying her for yrs and she never said a thing

Was A* Huge Moment

Can i please hear the story of Jr getting in Kyle Busch 5 car at Texas 2007, after he crashed him self and Kyle. Did he know he was going to Hendrick at that time? I thought i heard him speak about it and he didnt know yet.. but not sure

Now i know why your worth a billion dollars. Cograts Dale.

Fantastic Story,

Kelly could have been a winning driver In cup just saying

🏁

When Ty Norris quoted Teresa as saying,"If Jr. doesn't want to be here, we'll make another Jr."....shew. How blind do you have to be to think that? Plus not paying them. Plus not giving the man rights to his own name. Holy s@$#.

Can anyone explain to me who Mike Davis is? I've been watching this Dale Jr podcast for years and I never figured out who the heck Mike is and what his connections with Dale Jr are