NASCAR racing has always been a family affair. It started with Richard Petty and his family, and then this legacy was carried on by the Earnhardt’s. The Intimidator certainly etched his name in the history of stock car racing with seven championships. And Dale Jr. was seen as the heir to continue this racing legacy. From the outside looking in, fans often give this newer generation a hard time as they already had a platform to prove their worth. But for Jr., these were indeed big shoes to fill in.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR career has been anything but easy. It started off at DEI, where he had to part ways with his father’s living legacy. And then he had to prove his mettle as a world-class race car driver. However, the constant pressure of just living up to the expectations was too much for him to handle at the time, until he met Amy.
Amy Earnhardt helped Dale Jr. when he needed it the most
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Interestingly, Amy didn’t realize how big the Earnhardts were in the world of NASCAR before he met Dale Jr. However, after her first race, she understood the influence Dale Jr. and his family had over racing. Along with it came the pressure of being the very best, and at times it just wasn’t enough; even Jr. was hard on himself to add to his father’s racing legacy. “I think dating Dale when I first came around, I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I had never watched a NASCAR race.” Amy said in an interview.
Sharing her take on why she always had an upbeat perspective that helped Jr. Amy said this on Kenny Conversation. “Over the years, going through all the emotions with him and trying to figure out how to help him being strong, which was something that seemed to be easy, some people might call it being a hard a–. It seemed to be what he needed from me, so sometimes I was a little bit of both, I guess, but just being there and being strong for him was something that was easy for me to do.”
Her impact came at a time when Junior needed support. You see, back in 2009, Dale Jr. hired Amy to work on the interiors of his house. This was just a little while after he left DEI after clashing with his step-mother and parting ways with Budweiser. Junior not only had to face the stress of living up to his father’s seven titles, but create his own identity. To pile on the pressure, Junior was just starting out at Hendrick Motorsports when Amy entered his life. And her impact was clear.
via Getty RICHMOND, VA – SEPTEMBER 11: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8) Unilever United For America Chevrolet spending time with his daughter Isla Rose and wife, Amy Reimann Earnhardt, on pit road prior to the Go Bowling 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on September 11, 2021, at the Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, VA. (Photo by Lee Coleman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
As Dale Jr. later explained, a series of concussions and things that weren’t in his control somewhat hampered his racing exploits, and it was Amy who stood strong beside him. “Without Amy, I would’ve suffered emotionally, really severely… I would have probably given up.” Jr. said this while recovering from concussions and hitting a pause on NASCAR racing in 2016. There were constant battles the couple had to endure throughout their journey together. And had it not been for Amy, who knows what fate had in store for NASCAR’s beloved star?
Well, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was indeed immature when he started as a race car driver. If it hadn’t been for the crew chief, Eury Sr.’s intervention, Dale Sr. could’ve found a new driver for the DEI car in the Busch Series.
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Dale Jr.’s NASCAR career could’ve been in shambles due to his carefree attitude
Before Jr. took on the reins of the iconic #8 DEI car in the Cup series, his father wanted to know if he was ready to take on that responsibility. Sr. had doubts about his son’s involvement with the race team, and his worst fears started to come true during the 1997 Busch Series. At the time, Dale Jr. ran limited races to prove his mettle as a race car driver. Tail-end finishes and the inability to qualify for the races started to become a theme with the #31 team. But the crash at Charlotte Motor Speedway wound up Dale Earnhardt.
“I think the whole time his plan was he was going to put you in that car. When y’all went to Charlotte and y’all wrecked that car that ki–ed that guy. I’m telling you, he was so disappointed.” Fortunately, before making a decision, Sr. talked with his crew chief, Eury Sr., who managed to convince him that Jr. was the right pick. The veteran crew chief said this while speaking on DJD.
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“He says, ‘What do you think about putting Dale Jr. in this car? And I said, Dale, you spent money on Jeff Green; you spent money on Steve Park; why don’t you spend your money on your own kid? He brings that Charlotte deal up; he’s like, They don’t want to do this. I said, Dale, they are kids; put him in it. I said we’ll know in a year,” Eury Sr. added. So it’s fair to say Jr. certainly has grown as a person over the years, and NASCAR fans are indeed glad to have him around.