Earnhardt is hoping for a deal

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Tuesday he remained hopeful of re-signing with his stepmother’s team, but the NASCAR driver declined to reveal details about his contract talks.

“I’m pretty excited that things are going to be fine, things are going to work out with our negotiations,” Earnhardt said in a teleconference with reporters.

Earnhardt, 32, is in the last year of his contract with Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team started by his father and inherited by his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, after the senior Earnhardt’s death in a crash at the 2001 Daytona 500.

The younger Earnhardt has said he wants at least 51% ownership of the team as a condition of re-signing.

But he has a chilly relationship with Teresa Earnhardt, and there is speculation that if the two can’t reach an agreement soon, Earnhardt might sign elsewhere.

Despite published reports last weekend that an ownership stake was offered to the driver, on terms he rejected, Earnhardt said, “We’re basically where we’ve been over the past couple weeks. Not much has changed.”

He said both sides also had agreed to refrain from public comments about the talks “until we’re ready to release the details.”

With another Nextel Cup race coming up Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, Earnhardt also chastised some of his fans for throwing beer cans and other debris on tracks after he fails to win.

There were reports that it happened again after Jeff Gordon of the Hendrick Motorsports team won last Saturday’s race at Phoenix International Raceway.

It was Gordon’s 76th victory, tying him with the senior Earnhardt, and Gordon paid tribute to the seven-time Cup champion by carrying a flag with Earnhardt’s No. 3 during his victory lap.

“I didn’t really see a replay, as far as the amount of trash that got thrown on the track last week,” Earnhardt said. “I was pretty surprised to hear that it even happened.

“I don’t think it’s cool; it ain’t cool at all,” he said. “Go out in the parking lot and whale a couple of beers at your car. Don’t throw them at my car, or anybody else’s, for that matter.”

Earnhardt added, “I was blown away that anybody would even take what Jeff did wrong and be offended. Hello? I mean, he was waving a 3 flag.”

james.peltz@latimes.com