Earnhardt is more than a name. It is a brand.

Dale Earnhardt. NASCAR. Iconic fallen hero. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Rising iconic star.

And, apparently, a bitter widow in Teresa Earnhardt.

In a family spat gone viral in NASCAR country, Teresa is suing Kerry Earnhardt, Dale's oldest son and her stepson, for using the Earnhardt name in a business venture. Kerry, who once gave it a go at racing, wants to market and promote a line of homes and furniture called the Earnhardt Collection.

Teresa has filed an appeal in federal court after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office shot her down.

Bad idea.

Seems to me anyone is entitled to use his or her name. If Kerry was using “the Houston collection,” there would be no spat. Teresa Houston was born in 1958 and went on to marry Dale Earnhardt in 1982.

Dale died in 2001 after a crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500. Long before then, he had helped establish Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 1984, in large part to give Dale Jr. a platform to rise in the ranks of NASCAR. He took care of his own.

Teresa apparently wants to make life difficult for her stepsons. Dale Jr. eventually left DEI after a power struggle with Teresa, who eventually also left DEI after a merger with Chip Ganassi Racing.

It's nice to see she is so invested in the family brand, even as an outsider. #sarcasm

“Rene (Kerry's wife) and I have worked extremely hard to develop the Earnhardt Collection brand and make it uniquely ours,” Kerry said in a statement to ESPN.com. “I chose to leave a successful career in racing and could not be happier with what we've been able to achieve in the five years we've been building our home-lifestyle brand, inspired by our love of the outdoors.”

Although it's fair to call shenanigans on Kerry's claim of a “successful racing career” — he drove in only seven Cup races — he most certainly has a right to choose any career path he wants under the family name.

Teresa, already labeled an outsider for having no relationship with her stepchildren, has now alienated the NASCAR fan base.

Well played!

“Hate that my brother & family have to deal w/ this nonsense for over 4 yrs. It's our name too! We were born w/ it!” Kelley Earnhardt-Miller tweeted last week.

Kelley is Dale Jr.'s sister and the manager of JR Motorsports, the racing team Dale Jr. started in 2002 after it was used as a marketing arm for four years.

I'd suggest that Teresa let the Earnhardts do their thing, whether it's furniture or racing. The power play isn't going to get a lot of sympathy in NASCAR country.

Imagine if Teresa had tried this move on Dale Jr. She might have needed to fend off burning pitchforks from irate fans.

As it is, there's still a five-alarm fire. Teresa has the power to put it out if she'd only give it a rest.

gdiaz@tribpub.com