Earnhardt leaves Gurss in limbo

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Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s future is starting to take shape.

Topeka native Jade Gurss wishes his own future was as clear.
Gurss, Junior's primary public relations contact throughout his NASCAR Winston/Nextel Cup career and the best-selling author of "Driver No. 8,'' has been in the middle of a four-wheel circus since Earnhardt's blockbuster announcement in May that he was leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Earnhardt ended widespread speculation in June when he announced that he is headed to Hendrick Motorsports. His new number and sponsor are expected to be announced any time now.

Gurss' 2008 plans are a lot less certain, with the fact that Budweiser and Earnhardt are ending their association making it highly unlikely that Gurss will continue to work with Earnhardt, whom he has worked with since 1999.

"My company's under contract with (Budweiser) through the end of this season, and that's made it very strange and uncomfortable for me,'' Gurss said. "I'm very much a man without a country at this moment.

"I would hope that in the next couple of weeks things will become much clearer, but in the interim I consider myself a free agent.''

As one of NASCAR's most respected public relations professionals, Gurss has some options for '08 and beyond.

Gurss, a Shawnee Heights and Washburn graduate who worked at Heartland Park Topeka early in his career, could stay with Budweiser and continue to work with its new team or he could move over to another NASCAR team.

"I've been pretty much talking with anybody and everybody,'' Gurss said. "The probability of me going to Hendrick is very, very low. I have been talking with Anheuser-Busch about possibly working with them next year, but not knowing the driver, the team or the scenario makes it difficult to predict at his stage what form that will take or if that's the direction I'll go.''

There's also non-PR jobs that Gurss, whose father Veon owns Gurss Motors, will consider.

"I might end up doing TV production or involved in radio or selling used cars for my dad,'' he said.

Gurss' biographies about Junior and Darrell Waltrip ended up on the New York Times' best-seller list, but Gurss isn't sure he wants to write full-time.

"I guess my fear about that is if I become only an author I'll turn into a hermit, sitting here at the house writing 15 hours a day and never see another human.

"The other books I've always done in conjunction with all my other projects.''

If this is to be Gurss' final season with Earnhardt, it's certainly been eventful, particularly since Junior decided to part ways with the company his father established.

"It has been a season unlike any other, that's for sure,'' said Gurss, "We've certainly been through some nightmarish times when his father died, but this season has just been very, very surreal.

"It seems like every week there's a new twist or something new that the fans or the media are clamoring about. It's just been relentless every week it seems.''

And although managing the chaos that is Dale Earnhardt's career has been a challenge at times, Gurss is somewhat sad to see the association coming to an end.

"There is an element of excitement because, 'Hey, I might be able to do something new or exciting,' but there's also a bit of sadness and frustration at the end of what's been something that I'm incredibly proud of.

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