In the summer of 2007, Dale Earnhardt Jr. made a seismic shift in his NASCAR career. Leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc., a team his father Dale Earnhardt founded, he joined the powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports to drive the No. 88 Chevrolet. However, Kyle Busch’s presence kept him out until the next season. But before he could continue his career with the new team, the business aspect was to be handled. Thankfully for Junior, he had his sister, Kelley Earnhardt, managing his profile. Now, Junior is sharing one instance where his sister’s negotiating skills overpowered the seasoned veterans of the sport.

During a fan Q&A segment of his podcast Dale Junior Download, Junior was asked, “Who has the most influence over paint schemes?” First, Dale Jr. simply responded, “It depends.” But then, went on to share a story that has even taught Rick Hendrick a lesson in negotiating. He said, “There is a story that Rick Hendricks was telling the other day, we were all on a call with him. When we were doing the negotiating for our partners, Pepsi and Mountain Dew, PepsiCo and Mountain Dew, they were like…

“Kelley’s in the room with them and they were like, ‘Alright, man. You know, we’ll get on some car designs and da da da’ and Kelley’s like, ‘Well, Dale wants to be involved. Dale really wants to do the whole car.’ And they were like, ‘Oh, no, no. We’re going to do this and that and the other things.’ And she’s like, ‘No, nope. Dale’s going to do the car.’ Kelley’s, when she’s done negotiating, she has her books, notes, open and she’s like the final answer is this and she takes her book and she shuts it.

“And so, like middle of that meeting, they’re like, ‘Yeah, you know, we’re going to design a car. We already have some ideas.’ And she’s like, ‘Nope! Dale Junior’s going to design the car.’ And they were like (silent). And Rick’s at the other side of the table, and he’s like, ‘Y’all, I think we need to take a break.’ And he goes into the hallway with Kelley and he’s like ‘Kelley, this is a big deal. A lot of perimeters and money on the table.’ Kelley’s like, ‘This is what’s going to happen.'”

As it turns out, designing the car was not the only condition Kelley pushed on the negotiators. Her second condition to Pepsi was to not share in the royalties, something that they needed to keep up the deal. But Kelley held strong. Even Hendrick remembers that meeting and told Kelley in a chat back in December, “It worked out, you were right. You held strong. And so, I learned a lot about your negotiating skills back in that day.” He also confessed that he learned a lot about negotiating from her. As for Dale Jr., he knows just why he has his sist sitting as the CEO of JR Motorsports.

“So yeah, I love telling that story. It’s more about really like the negotiator that Kelley is and just how she’s fearless. So, pretty fun to be in a room with her when she’s trying to work something out with a partner or something like that,” Junior concluded answering the fan question with the interesting anecdote.

Kelley’s strategic approach in that meeting paid off. She secured key partnerships such as the National Guard and Mountain Dew and helped orchestrate the shift of Junior to the No. 88 Chevrolet at Hendrick Motorsports, while also laying the groundwork for the launch and growth of JR Motorsports. The partnership between Pepsi, under the Pepsi and Mountain Dew banners, and Hendrick Motorsports is one of NASCAR’s most endearing alliances.

When Mountain Dew emerged as Junior’s primary sponsor, the car debuted a striking green and white livery that contrasted sharply with the iconic Budweiser red of his DEI days. Over the years, his No. 88 ride became a canvas for creative flair and brand integration. Special paint schemes to do, including the Diet Mountain Dew “Paint the 88” program in 2010, and an engaging promotion that invited fans to submit designs for the car; Junior selected the winner from nearly 10,000 entries.

Junior’s debut season with HMS arrived in 2008. Although his performance at first struggled, he found his footing with a win at Michigan International Speedway and eventually flourished under crew chief Steve Letarte’s guidance. He stayed with the team till 2017 when he completely retired from driving. Now, he is adding his flair to NASCAR with his perspective on certain aspects. For one, Dale Jr. questioned Austin Hill’s “no help” accusations. He also has a bold claim on Dodge Ram’s future with NASCAR.

Dale Jr. sounds off on Dodge’s NASCAR Cup Series game

Dale Jr. isn’t exactly rolling out the red carpet for Dodge’s dream of the NASCAR Cup Series comeback, at least not without warning them about a big, gnarly speed bump: the engine program. Junior didn’t sugarcoat it, calling the power plant challenge the steepest hill Dodge would have to climb if it wants to mix it up with the big dogs in NASCAR’s Top tier.

When it comes to making horsepower, Junior thinks Dodge’s first lap in the Cup Series could be a rough ride. Speaking on DJD, he said, “The one thing that’s probably going to be the toughest part for the Dodge guys will be the engine. Maybe that comes together, and that works better than I think. I have no knowledge of information. But I just know that to bring their power plan into the Cup Series and it do everything it needs to do and perform the way it needs to perform, NASCAR is going to keep a very tight leash on all of that so that they can’t come in and overpower everybody.”

Even if the Mopar crew nails the belt, Junior says NASCAR will keep the whole thing under a microscope to make sure no one is packing a rocket under the hood. And it’s not just NASCAR watching; the other manufacturers would be quick to hit the brakes on any “too hot to handle” advantage.

He added, “The other OEMs are going to go, ‘All right, man. You better hold them accountable. Hold them within the confines of the power and torque that we have.’ That’s a little stickier. I don’t know that anybody can come brand new OEM and unload in the Cup Series and be good.”

For now, the Dodge-to-Cup chatter is still just that, chatter. Ram’s return to the Truck Series is the brand’s real action item, while the Cup Series dream is still stuck on pit road. Still, in a sport where a single bold move can change the whole race, you never know when Dodge might drop the hammer and make it happen.