Who is Dale Earnhardt Jr.?
Coming from a family of racers, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the son of late NASCAR legend, Dale Earnhardt, Sr. one of the most iconic drivers in U.S. history. Taking inspiration from his father, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took command of the three generations-old family racing business. He is a NASCAR team author and analyst. Also known as the ‘Pied-Piper’ of Daytona, Dale Earnhardt is a proud winner of the Most Popular Driver Award fifteen times in a series.
Having been active with Hendrick Motorsports since 2008, he took retirement in 2017. He is a winner of the Most Popular Driver Award fifteen times and Daytona 500 twice. This third-generation American car racer is the owner of the production company Hammerhead Entertainment. His popularity with fans helped him earn millions from his career and other endorsements.
Personal Details
- Celebrity Name: Earnhardt Jr.
- Full Name: Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Gender: Male
- Birth Date: October 10, 1974
- Birth Place: Kannapolis, North Carolina
- Age: 46
- Height: 1.83 m
- Weight: 81.0 kg
- Nationality: American
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Status: Married
- Wife: Amy Reimann
- Children: 2 (Isla Rose and Nicole Loraine)
- Profession: Stock Car Racing Driver, Author, and Analyst
- Net Worth: $300 million
Early Life
Born on October 10, 1974, Ralph Dale Earnhardt has his roots in Kannapolis, North Carolina. His parents divorced after Dale was born. His father Dale Earnhardt, Sr. married Teresa Houstan as his second-wife. Raised in difficult times Dale was brought up by his single mother Brenda Jackson.
Dale was just six when his house was caught with fire. When he was just 12, he was sent to military school by his father and stepmother. Dale also attended a professional high-performance driving school and started competitive driving at the age of 17.
Personal Life
Dale Earnhardt Jr. got married to his longtime girlfriend Amy Reimann in 2016. The couple is blessed with a lovely daughter Isla Rose Earnhardt who was born on April 30, 2018 and a second child Nicole Loraine was born on October 12, 2020. Earnhardt Jr.’s mother Brenda Jackson died after battling cancer on April 22, 2019. She was an accounting specialist since 2004 for JR Motorsports.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. owns a yard of wrecked cars in North Carolina. His yard is a house of some notable racing cars from history like Juan Pablo’s Montoya’s 2012Daytona 500, David Gilliland’s 2014 5-hour Energy 400, and Dale’s own 2014 Duck Commander 500 car. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is an avid Washington Football team fan and once dreamed of becoming a football player but he thought he was not made for it.
The Earnhardt family had a lucky escape when the plane carrying Earnhardt, his wife, and daughter Isla crashed. The passengers suffered minor injuries and no one was seriously injured. Dale also owns a private jet Learjet 60 with the tail number N8JR. Earnhardt also plans to donate his brain for concussion research after his death.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Career
Starting his career at the age of 17, Dale geared up his first race in 1979 at Monte Carlo Busch series where he ran nine races between 1996 and 1997 for Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Ed Whitaker. Dale drove his first NASCAR race in 1988 and won the 2000 DirecTV 500. Rolling through a roller coaster ride in 2002, the champion had a brain concussion, when he met with an accident in a California race. After 2002, he never looked back and excelled at every race he participated in.
After much speculation, Earnhardt decided to leave Dale Earnhardt Inc. and joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2007. His only intention to leave his father’s patronage and join an outside team was to fulfill his desire of winning a Sprint Cup championship. Being an active participant and champion of racing events like Budweiser Shootout, Daytona 500, and Pure Michigan 400, Earnhardt continued to be a winner all through these years. In 2012, he was again sidelined by a brain concussion.
Despite being sidelined due to emergency conditions, his efforts for racing remained consistent. In 2015, at Atlanta Jr. had a third-place finish while at Pocono, he remained in the top ten all day. From 2015-2017, his career graph faced a lot of challenges but after every return, he came back with more valor than before. Through his career of more than 15 years, Dale Earnhardt has emerged as one of the most admired drivers in NASCAR history.
Awards and Achievements
With 26 winnings, he is one of the most victorious drivers to be a winner of every single Cup championship. The Cup Series awards the title of Most Popular Driver Award based on the fan votes. Earnhardt Jr. has won the series 14 times succeeded by Bill Elliot who won it 16 times. He is also the winner of the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship two times in the years 1998 and 1999.
Voted as NASCAR’s most popular driver 14 times in a row, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has set the benchmark for his competitors. He finished with top ten positions 300 times and remained at pole position more than 20 times. He is also recognized as the Pied Piper of Daytona for his winning of Daytona 500 twice one in the year 2004 and the second win in the year 2104.
Earnhardt Jr.’s business ventures started way back in 2003 when he along with his stepmother founded Chance 2 Motorsports. The business went into liquidation in the year 2006 due to liquidation. Being an avid racer, Dale Earnhardt Jr. also acted as a guest analyst at NASCAR Cup and color commentator for NASCAR on NBC. He also debuted at 2018 Overton’s 400 at Chicago land Speed Way.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Total Net Worth
Image source: sbnation.com
At present Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s total net worth is $300 million.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has always been an inspiration for more sports racing enthusiasts. He is currently head of a Media Production Company, named Hammerhead Entertainment which has successfully produced some of the widely watched shows like Shifting Gears on ESPN2. He has also appeared in many TV shows, movies, and music videos for artists like 3 Doors Down, Trace Adkins, and Sheryl Crow. He is a philanthropist too as he supports Make A Wish Foundation.