Dale Earnhardt Jr., born October 10, 1974, was raised with racing in his blood. Earnhardt is a third generation NASCAR champion, following in the footsteps of grandfather Ralph Earnhardt and father Dale Earnhardt Sr., as well as the grandson of NASCAR car builder Robert Gee, Sr.
“I was just going to the racetracks as a young kid, or going to dirt tracks at Metrolina Motor Speedway at Concord, North Carolina and the other dirt tracks around the area, and watching laps, watching the cars go by, trying to understand why they were doing things they were doing, and why they were running lines they were running,” Earnhardt told Uinterview exclusively.
“Me and my father didn’t have a lot of conversations about racing and I didn’t ask a lot of questions, but I was very observant and always around and trying to listen to the conversations he was having with his crew or other people about what his car was doing and how he’s working on his car, repairing his car, so when I started doing those things and getting involved in the sport all of those things started to make sense to me,’” Earnhardt told Uinterview exclusively. “And when I would get out on the track and start to see the reaction of the car and how it worked with the air, I would understand why he was making the moves he made, and it made everything a lot easier.”
Earnhardt was born in Kannapolis, N.C., to Earnhardt, Sr. and Brenda Lorraine Gee. He has one sister, Kelley, a half-sister, Taylor Earnhardt-Putnam, and a half-brother Kerry Earnhardt.
Earnhardt worked at his father’s dealership while working toward an associate’s degree in automotive technology at Mitchell Community College. His father died while racing the 2001 Daytona 500.
Earnhardt began racing at a young age. He attended Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track High Performance Driving School and competed in the Concord, North Carolina Motorsport Park Street Stock division at age 17. He joined the Late Model Stock Car division two seasons later and competed on North and South Carolina short tracks in a No. 3 Chevrolet. He shared his first race car with half-brother Kerry – a 1979 Monte Carlo.
Earnhardt focused his efforts at the East Carolina Motor Speedway, where he captured the pole in October 1994, and the South Carolina Myrtle Beach Speedway. While racing Kelley and Kerry there, he learned about chassis setup and car preparation.
Between 1996-1998 Earnhardt raced nine Busch Series races for Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Ed Whitaker, respectively. He began racing for his father’s team full time in the Busch Series in 1998. He won the NASCAR Busch Series championships in 1998 and 1999. He made his debut in the Winston Cup Series in 1998 and drove in five races in the series in 1999. He went full-time in the Winston Cup Series in 2000.
Earnhardt competed for the Raybestos NASCAR Rookie Of The Year Award against Matt Kenseth in 2000 and lost. Earnhardt’s first win came at the DirecTV 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway, where he beat his father’s own record for fewest starts by a driver by winning in just his 12th start.
Earnhardt raced his father and Kerry in the Pepsi 400 at Michigan International Speedway in 2000.
Earnhardt raced with his father in the 2001 Daytona 500 and came in second place. In that race his father crashed after being hit by Sterling Marlin. Earnhardt Sr. was killed immediately. Many fans sent threatening letters to Marlin, but Earnhardt and teammate Michael Waltrip asked them to stop blaming others for his death.
The next weekend Earnhardt raced at Rockingham and came in 43rd place after getting into a crash that was similar to his father’s. He made a comeback at the Pepsi 400, the first race held at Daytona since Earnhardt’s father’s death. He led the pack for 115 of the 160 laps and moved from sixth to first place in the within the last two laps to win.
Earnhardt won the MBNA Cal Ripken, Jr 400 at Dover and his second restrictor plate win at the EA Sports 500 at Talladega. In points standing, Earnhardt finished the season in eighth.
Earnhardt had a difficult time in early 2002, coming behind 30th place in the three races following his concussion at Fontana. However, he dominated at the Talladega races and finished the season in 11th place.
Earnhardt scored his fourth consecutive win at Talladega in 2003 despite a 27-car crash in the fourth lap. That October he won at Phoenix and broke his own record by landing in a career-best third place in the standings.
Earnhardt won his first Daytona 500 in 2004, six years after his father won the Great American Race. He won his Gatorade Duel as well as the Busch Series race but finished second in the Budweiser Shootout, which kept him from sweeping Speedweeks.
In July Earnhardt suffered from second and third degree burns after crashing during practice for the American Le Mans Series Grand Prix of Sonoma. He was unable to complete two races due to the burns, but that fall swept both the Busch and Cup races the same weekend.
Earnhardt won his fifth NEXTEL Cup win of the season in 2004 at Talladega, though he was docked 25 points for using an obscenity during the television broadcast. The point loss plus two DNF’s in the Chase eliminated him from the running. He finished fifth in the NEXTEL Cup Chase despite his wins at Daytona, Richmond, Phoenix Talladega, Bristol and Atlanta.
Earnhardt only won one race in 2005, at Chicagoland. After his engine failed at the California Speedway, he was unable to compete at the NEXTEL Cup. JR Motorsports, which is Earnhardt co-owns with his sister Kelley, fielded a car used in the USAR Hooters ProCup Series that won once and qualified for the Four Champions Playoff. His season standings placed him in fifth.
In 2006 at Talladega Earnhardt and other DEI (Dale Earnhardt, Inc) drivers drove with black paint schemes that were reminiscent of Earnhardt’s father’s famous No. 3 scheme. That Father’s Day at Michigan International Speedway Earnhardt drove a vintage Budweiser car in memory of his father and grandfather. Dale finished third in the championship standings.
Earnhardt’s second engine failure of the year occurred at New Hampshire and caused him to finish 43rd. At the Pocono race he crashed in the second lap. Those events led him to end 11th in the standing at Chase for the Cup.
Earnhardt finished 17th in the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 in September and just nearly missed winning at Talladega. He ended the season in fifth.
Earnhardt finished 32nd at the 2007 Daytona 500 because of a crash during the race. He didn’t have a top 10 placement until the Food City 500, and his top five placement came at the Goody’s Cool Orange 500. Earnhardt was docked 100 championship points, his stepmother and car-owner Teresa Earnhardt was docked 100 owner points, and crew chief Tony Eury, Jr. received a $100,000 fine for use of illegal mounting brackets to attach the wing to his car.
Earnhardt made the decision to move from DEI to Hendrick Motorsports in order to achieve his goal of winning a Sprint Cup Championship. He signed a five year contract with the company in mid-2007, replacing Kyle Busch. Budweiser, Earnhardt’s long-time primary sponsor, did not follow him to Hendrick, likely based on contractual agreements.
One of the biggest shockers that came from the switch was that Earnhardt would not be keeping his No. 8 car — that was the number used by grandfather Ralph and early in his father’s racing career -, which he blamed on Teresa. The number was eventually retired in 2009 after DEI merged with Ganassi Racing. He took on the No. 88 car, which his grandfather drove in 1957, instead. Eury made the move with him.
Earnhardt won his first pole position since his 2002 go at Pocono Raceway in August 2007. He won the NMPA Chex Most Popular Driver Award for the fifth time in a row.
Earnhardt won the 2008 Budweiser Shootout, his first race with Hendrick, leading 47/70 laps. Five days later he won in the Gatorade Duel, the came in ninth place at the Daytona 500. He nearly won at Talladega, but lost his lead late in the race. He finished the season in 12th place.
2009 was a tumultuous and winless year for Earnhardt, who started the season in 27th at the Daytona 500 after being involved in a controversial lap 124 crash. He was accused of purposely clipping Brian Vickers, though he has denied it. He finished 10th in Las Vegas and 8th at Martinsville. He then had a series of poor finishes, including 31st place at Phoenix. His placement improved when he finished second at Talladega, but plummeted again when he placed 27th at Darlington. He finished the season at a career-low standing placement of 25th.
2010 was a better year for Earnhardt, who placed second at Daytona, first in the Gatorade Duel, and 11th at the Budweiser Shootout.
At the Daytona Nationwide Series race Earnhardt was involved in a multi-car crash that caused his car to flip. He walked away uninjured.
Earnhardt paid tribute to his father by racing the No. 3 at the Nationwide Series Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona. He placed 21st in the end of season rankings and won NMPA’s Most Popular Driver Award for the eighth consecutive year.
Earnhardt started the 2011 season by drawing the pole position at the Budweiser Shootout. He placed 19th in the race. He won his first pole position at Daytona International Speedway and placed 24th at the Daytona 500 after a car wreck four laps from finishing. Earnhardt went on to win several Top 10 finishes.
Earnhardt announced that he signed another five-year contract with Hendrick Motors to drive the No. 88 until 2017. He finished seventh in the season-end point standings.
Earnhardt drove an average 2012 season, placing 20th at the Budweiser Shootout, second place at the Daytona 500, 10th at Las Vegas, 14th at Phoenix and third at Martinsville Speedway and Auto Club. He had a string of Top 10 finishes at Texas, Richmond, Talladega and Kansas. He landed in 17th at Darlington, 15th at Daytona and a win at the Sprint Showdown.
Earnhardt suffered a concussion in October after crashing at Talladega, causing him to sit out the Bank Of America 500 and the Hollywood Casino 400. He returned to the tracks for the Tums Fast Relief 500, placing 21st.
Earnhardt ended the season seventh in the standings.
In 2013 Earnhardt finished eighth in the Sprint Unlimited, second at Talladega, ninth in the Budweiser Duel and fortuh at the DRIVE4COPD.
In the Sprint Cup Series Earnhardt placed in the Top 5 three times and in the Top 10 five times, beginning with a second-place run at the Daytona 500. He had some bad runs too, placing 29th at Texas and 30th at Watkins Glen.
Earnhardt won the pole at Kentucky and set a new track qualifying speed record with a 29.406 second lap time at 183.6 miles per hour. He finished eighth in the race. He won his second pole at Dover and set a new qualifying speed record of 161.8 miles per hour.
Earnhardt finished the 2013 season at number five in the standings with a career high of 22 Top 10 finishes. Earnhardt broke driver Bill Elliott’s record of most consecutive wins of the NMPA Most Popular Driver Award that year with his eleventh win.
In 2014 Earnhardt finished ninth in the Sprint Unlimited after colliding with fellow driver Marcos Ambrose. “We were just kinda going for the same place, going for the same position on the racetrack,” Earnhardt told Uinterview. “We were just miscommunicating at that point and time, and ran into each other and got turned into the fence, but I’ve been racing Marcos for a long time he’s a good guy. I was angry at the moment sure, heat of the moment on the racetrack when you get wrecked you’re definitely not happy about the situation, so I definitely got a little angry at the moment, but coolness prevailed after everyone got out of the care and cooled down.”
NASCAR implemented a new point system starting in 2014. “It’s going to be pretty exciting with the point system the way it is this year, and I think the fans are going to enjoy that, the drivers will too,” Earnhardt told Uinterview exclusively. “If it comes down to the right situation in a race you might get a little more aggressive a little more physical than you would have in the past due to the importance in winning these races.”
Earnhardt won his second Daytona 500 in February 2014, 10 years after his first win.
In 2018, Earnhardt published an Opinion piece in the New York Times, where he opened up about the more than a dozen concussions that he had suffered since becoming a Nascar driver. He said that his numerous head injuries were what forced him to retire as a full-time driver in 2017.
Earnhardt experienced many complications from his concussions, including damage to his vestibular system, which is responsible for communication between the brain, inner ear and body. He concealed his pain for a long time, determined to remain focused on racing. However, he was forced into rehabilitation in 2016 and now shares his story so that other people may feel inspired to get the help that they need, too.
Earnhardt owns media production company Hammerhead Entertainment, which has created shows such as Back In The Day.
Earnhardt is involved with investors building Alabama Motorsports Park which will include kart and stock car racing. He has designed a line of eyeglass frames with NY Eye Inc. and has opened a Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet and Buick-GMC-Cadillac in Tallahasse, Florida with Rick Hendrick.
Earnhardt owns a bar called Whisky River, with locations in Charlotte, North Carolina and Jacksonville, Florida.
In addition to racing, Earnhardt has appeared in many media forms. He appeared as himself in Talladega Nights asking Will Ferrell‘s character for an autograph. His father’s No. 8 car appeared in the film Herbie: Fully Loaded and his own No. 88 car was in Transformers: Dark Of The Moon.
Earnhardt hosted Back In The Day, a show created by his television network that looks at races from the 60s and 70s. He appeared on the shows Yes, Dear as well as MTV Cribs. He raced Shaquille O’Neal in an episode of Shaq Vs.
Earnhardt has voiced many characters for films and television shows, such as Disney/Pixar’s Cars and Handy Manny. Earnhardt has lent his voice to video games, including Scarface: The World Is Yours and NASCAR RUMBLE.
Earnhardt has been featured in several music videos, including Sheryl Crow’s “Steve McQueen,” O.A.R.’s “Right On Time,” Nickleback’s “Rockstar” and Jay-Z’s “Show Me What You Got.”
Earnhardt expanded his media presence to radio as well, hosting Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Unrestricted and producing Dirty Mo Radio with Hammerhead Entertainment
Earnhardt married Amy Reimann in 2016. Earnhardt and Reimann have been in a relationship since 2009. Earnhardt previously dated Lauren Anderson, Elizabeth Peschock and Marisa Miller. Earnhardt is rumored to have dated Emily Maynard.
In 2018, Earnhardt and Reimann welcomed their first daughter, Isla Rose. In 2020, the couple gave birth to another girl, Nicole Lorraine.
Earnhardt is an avid Washington Redskins fan and is friends with tight end Chris Cooley.
Watch Dale’s full uInterview here:
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