Who can forget Michael Waltrip’s victory in the 2001 Daytona 500? Often quoted as one of the most emotional and historically significant wins in NASCAR history. Driving the No. 15 NAPA Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Waltrip won his very first NASCAR Cup Series race after 462 starts, breaking the longest active winless streak at the time. As he crossed the finish line, teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. was right behind in second, a 1-2 finish for DEI that should’ve sparked a wild celebration. But joy turned to heartbreak moments later when Dale Earnhardt Sr., running third to protect his drivers, crashed fatally in Turn 4. Waltrip’s triumph, forever bittersweet, marked both DEI’s pinnacle and the start of its unraveling.

Dale Earnhardt, Inc. was a powerhouse born from humble roots. Founded in 1980 by Dale and Teresa Earnhardt in Kannapolis, North Carolina, DEI grew from a small Busch Series outfit into a NASCAR juggernaut. By 1999, its 110,000-square-foot “Garage Mahal” boasted fan viewing areas, a showroom, and a trophy room, symbolizing DEI’s ambition. But Dale Sr.’s death left a void, and the team’s golden era faded. The publicized feud between Dale Jr. and Teresa Earnhardt took the center stage, with Teresa even claiming to “make another Dale Jr.” But there was a power struggle going on behind the scenes that played an equal part in the downfall of DEI.

Ty Norris, DEI’s Executive Vice President and General Manager from 1996 to 2004, recently bared all in an interview with Eric Cavana. “I wish I had the experience then that I have now because in that period of time, it became Game of Thrones,” Norris said. “It became a little bit of like ‘who’s in charge?’ ‘Who’s gonna get to say?’, ‘who’s gonna set the direction?’ ‘Who has the final word?’ and there were multiple people who were like sort of positioning themselves for that role, many of us felt we deserved it and earned it, but in the end at the time, I used to pound my fist and say ‘this is what we’re gonna do’” Norris’s said his words painting a picture of chaos, with egos clashing as DEI’s leadership vacuum grew.

Norris was a linchpin in DEI’s rise, handpicked by Dale Sr. to transform the team into a titan. He oversaw DEI’s 1998 Cup Series entry and steered its 2001-2003 dominance, securing major sponsors and eight speedway wins. But Dale’s death on February 18, 2001, shattered the team’s core. Teresa even turned against Norris when Dale Jr. and Michael Waltrip demanded answers about being unpaid in 2023. Without Earnhardt, the team was in shambles, and everyone wanted to get things done their way. But after two decades, Norris reflects on those days with regret.

The power struggle Norris described took root in that grief. “I saw this on a Ronald Reagan quote, He said ‘the government is as its best when it realises that it is not the master, that it is the servant to the people’ and so as a leader what I learnt through those hard times is that I wasn’t ready to be the servant, I was trynna be the master and in my time now I understand that it’s really about hiring good people, putting them in the right place, resourcing them and servicing them. ‘What do you need from us to be better?, while you do your great work’ and I did not have that one after Dale’s accident and it became part of the demise of what was a great organisation too many people not trying to be servants, everyone trying to be a master.” Norris shared further.

Without Dale Sr.’s iron hand, executives like Norris vied for power, undermining the team’s unity. By 2004, tensions boiled over. Teresa Earnhardt, now steering DEI, restructured management, offering Norris a 67% pay cut or termination. He walked, and Richie Gilmore, DEI’s engine builder, stepped into his role. The move signaled deeper cracks—DEI’s focus shifted from racing to internal battles, eroding its competitive edge. Dale Jr.’s leaving the organization in 2007 was the final straw, and he couldn’t even take his #8 number to Hendrick Motorsports.

Without Norris and Junior, DEI limped on, merging with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2009, but the Garage Mahal’s glory days were gone. The power grab Norris described wasn’t just a leadership failure—it was a betrayal of Dale Sr.’s vision. His “Game of Thrones” analogy nails it: a once-mighty kingdom torn apart by ambition, leaving Earnhardt’s empire in ruins. The confession stings because DEI wasn’t just a team—it was Earnhardt’s dream. Norris’s hindsight, learned through years leading teams like Michael Waltrip Racing, shows a man who’d do it differently. But in 2001, the fight for control was a dagger, and DEI bled out.

Ty Norris backs Will Brown’s NASCAR shot

Ty Norris isn’t dwelling on DEI’s past—he’s shaping NASCAR’s future as Kaulig Racing’s Chief Business Officer. Recently, he announced that Supercars champion Will Brown will get his second Cup Series start on July 6 at the Grant Park 165 in Chicago, a shot at redemption after a 2024 Sonoma debut marred by electrical gremlins. Brown, who clinched the 2024 Repco Supercars title, finished 31st at Sonoma but showed speed in practice, leaving him hungry for more.

Norris, who saw Shane van Gisbergen’s stunning 2023 Chicago win for Trackhouse Racing, believes Brown could follow suit. “Will was inspired by what happened with Shane, Every time one of those world-class drivers shows up, they have a lot of speed,” Norris said. Brown’s Chicago run, on a street course where he’s only two races behind the field, could shake things up. Both prior Chicago races were rain-soaked, so a dry track would level the playing field. “Will could be right there,” Norris added, noting Kaulig’s technical tie-up with Richard Childress Racing made the deal possible.

This year’s been big for NASCAR debuts, with Supercars’ Jack Perkins set for an Xfinity Series start in August and Katherine Legge racing at Chicago, the first woman since Danica Patrick in 2018. Fans on X are pumped, one calling Brown “the next SVG.” Norris’s push for global talent echoes his DEI days, when he built a winning culture. Now, he’s betting on Brown to spark Kaulig’s rise, proving his leadership’s evolved from master to servant.