KANNAPOLIS, N.C. -- A big debate is brewing in Cabarrus County, where signs honoring the legendary Dale Earnhardt have been removed.

It's a battle between two of Kannapolis' most famous men. One - a hometown boy who defined the sport of racing.

The other - a California billionaire who wants to make the small mill town into a premiere research center.

"To me, it's just about how communities change and they have different possibilities to reinvent and market themselves,” said Cabarrus County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development President John Cox.

Kannapolis is in the midst of transitioning from a motor sports mecca to include "the home of science."

The marketing move began when Cannon Mills was demolished to make way for the N.C. Research Center funded by David Murdoch. That's when banners marking special spots in honor of Dale Earnhardt became dirty and tattered.

A perfect time, developers and some local leaders reasoned, to make a change. On Thursday, the "Dale Trail" banners came down and the controversy ignited.

"The tradition runs so deep, I think it would be a terrible mistake to go away from that," said Richard Jordan. Jordan owns Punchy’s Diner, a restaurant featured along the “Dale Trail” route.

Peggy Gentle is a diehard “Intimidator” fan who frequently stops for lunch.

"I don't think they should have taken that down. I knew Dale when he was a young man,” she said.

But officials with the N.C. Research Center say no disrespect was meant to Earnhardt. In fact, they say Murdoch donated the land for a park in his memory and commissioned Number 3's statue that stands in the center of it.

"If you look at the statue that Mr. Murdoch paid for Kannapolis to have, I cannot imagine how anybody could construe that as being disrespectful to anybody," stressed Phyllis Beaver, director of marketing for the N.C. Research campus.

Still, it's an idea that isn't easy for many to accept.

"His (Earnhardt’s) memory will always linger here because this is where he grew up," Gentle added.

As for the “Dale Trail” banners, officials say they’ll most likely be sold to adoring fans, possibly on eBay.