Teresa Earnhardt was dismissed as the owner of Dale Earnhardt Incorporated after the merger with Chip Ganassi. Teresa runs the DEF foundation in 2023.
The third wife of Dale Earnhardt is a native of Hickory, North Carolina. Likewise, Teresa grew up in a family exposed to racing, with her uncle Tommy Houston being a legendary Busch Series driver.
Similarly, Teresa met Dale at a racing event in the late 1970s, and they eventually married on November 14, 1982.
Teresa has a commercial art and interior design degree, while Dale was a successful NASCAR driver and team owner.
He competed in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now recognized as the NASCAR Cup Series) for over 25 years and drove the No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing for many of those years.
Teresa Earnhardt Now Runs A Foundation
Teresa continues to carry on her late husband’s legacy through her involvement with the Dale Earnhardt Foundation.
Today, Dale Earnhardt Inc. continues to operate as the parent company for various Earnhardt businesses in Mooresville, NC.
Earnhardt was the leader of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) during their successful years in the Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series, winning multiple championships.
In addition, Teresa was also a part owner of the Busch Series championship team in 2004 and 2005 through Chance 2 Motorsports.
Teresa’s first Daytona 500 win as a team owner was overshadowed by the tragic demise of her husband, Dale Earnhardt, during the same race in 2001.
Her relationship with her stepson Dale Earnhardt Jr. deteriorated, and he left DEI in 2007. They couldn’t reach an agreement following their demands suitable for all his siblings, per Bleacher Report.
Towards the end of 2006, Teresa recruited Max Siegel, an entertainment executive, to serve as DEI’s President of Global Operations. His mission was to lead the company’s expansion into the entertainment industry.
In July 2007, DEI acquired Ginn Racing as part of its efforts to grow and improve its operations. Eventually, she merged with Chip Ganassi Racing before they dismissed her from the company after obtaining the majority shares.
Who Is Teresa Earnhardt Married To Now?
Teresa Earnhardt has not remarried after Dale’s passing. She has spent most of her time in the business part of things.
Teresa and Dale married on November 18, 1982, when she was 24. Together, they had one daughter named Taylor Nicole Earnhardt, born in 1988.
Their marriage lasted for 18 years until Dale’s tragic passing in 2001.
Before Teresa, Dale had two previous marriages. He married Latane Brown in 1968 and had his first son, Kerry, with her in 1969. They divorced in 1970, and he married Brenda Gee in 1971.
With Brenda, he had two children, Kelley King Earnhardt in 1972 and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 1974, before they also divorced.
Teresa and Dale not only shared a personal relationship but also worked together to run Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI), which Dale founded in 1980. After his passing, Teresa continued to work to carry on his legacy through the Dale Earnhardt Foundation.
Teresa Earnhardt Family Life
Teresa Earnhardt family includes her daughter named Taylor Earnhardt-Putnam. She is the only biological child from the racing couples union.
Taylor was named the 2015 All-Around Cowgirl at the Southern Rodeo Association.
However, she has shifted her focus to a different type of racing by excelling in barrel racing and becoming the North Carolina National Barrel Horse Association Champion. Her father, the seven-time NASCAR Champion Dale, inherited her competitive spirit.
Taylor is the youngest daughter of Dale and Teresa Earnhardt, and she has continued the family tradition of winning by achieving success in barrel racing.
She is also an ambassador for the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, a non-profit organization that focuses on helping children, promoting education, and preserving wildlife in honor of her father.
Aside from her professional endeavors, Taylor resides in North Carolina with her husband, Brandon Putnam, and their three-year-old daughter, Sage. Her interests include hunting, cattle ranching, and charity work.
In May 2016, Teresa filed a lawsuit against her stepson, Kerry Earnhardt, for using the Earnhardt name in his business without permission. Kerry and his wife René had plans to sell homes and furniture under the name “The Earnhardt Collection.”
Teresa won an appeal on July 27, 2017, which meant that the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board had to say more about why they let Kerry use “Earnhardt Collection” for his business.