Teresa Earnhardt

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Teresa Earnhardt (née Houston) is the widow of Dale Earnhardt and mother of Taylor Nicole Earnhardt (born December 20, 1988). She is the stepmother of Kerry Earnhardt, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge and Dale Earnhardt Jr. She is the president and Chief Executive Officer of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., thus making her the first woman in NASCAR history to own a team.

She was portrayed by Elizabeth Mitchell in the movie 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story.

[edit] Background

Teresa Houston was born in 1958 in Hickory, North Carolina. She is the daughter of Hal & Betty Houston, Hal was a sportsman racer at Hickory Motor Speedway and the niece of Tommy Houston, legendary Busch Series driver. She graduated from Piedmont Community College in 1978. She married Dale Earnhardt on November 14, 1982. She and her husband built Dale Earnhardt, Inc., (DEI) into one of the most successful enterprises in NASCAR. When Dale Sr. was killed in a wreck on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, Teresa took over the company and initiated a successful merchandising program. She was also influential in getting Dale Sr.'s autopsy photos kept private. In response to this, The Florida Senate by a 40-0 vote passed SB 1356, also dubbed the "Earnhardt Family Protection Act," which made releasing autopsy photographs a third-degree felony. The bill contained a clause making it retroactive, thereby sealing Earnhardt's autopsy materials from individuals seeking to capitalize on his celebrity.

[edit] DEI

Earnhardt won her first Daytona 500 as a team owner when driver of the #15 Chevrolet driven by Michael Waltrip drove his car to a win at the 2001 Daytona 500. This was the race that her husband Dale Earnhardt was killed in a last lap accident.

In late 2006, Earnhardt hired entertainment executive Max Siegel as President of Global Operations to help DEI expand into the entertainment industry. On July 25th, 2007, DEI Merged with Ginn Racing with Bobby Ginn gaining a part ownership in DEI.

[edit] The DEI/Junior Break-Up

In May 2007, her stepson Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced he would not be returning to DEI for the 2008 NASCAR season. Dale Jr. left DEI as an agreement could not be reached between Jr and DEI that suited him and his three other siblings who all claim to have an equal right to the business.