"I'm so grateful now for that": When Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared his father's biggest life lesson

Having grown up around Dale Earnhardt all his life, former NASCAR Cup Series star Dale Earnhardt Jr. was sure to get a racing pointer or two from his late father. However, it was a lesson his dad taught him off the racetrack that the 26-time winner is most grateful for.

Back in June 2018, the two-time Daytona 500 champion sat down with Michael Rodio of Men's Journal for a Q&A, not long after he retired from full-time NASCAR competition. When asked what was the most valuable thing he learned from his father, whether it be in racing or something else, Earnhardt Jr. said he wasn't much of a talker. However, when his dad did speak, it was important, adding:

"There were nights when we would sit in the living room and he would be in the La-Z-Boy watching TV, and you couldn't get him to answer a question. He wasn't a talker. When he did talk to you, you listened."

Earnhardt Jr. went to recall a time he was sat down by his father to discuss drugs and school, a conversation he believes all parents have with their child at some point. He noted that his dad quit school to focus on racing. While it's what Earnhardt wanted to do, he was disappointed by the decision. Therefore, it was important to him that his kids stayed in school until the end.

For Earnhardt Jr., he was thankful to have that conversation with his dad.

"That’s why my father would always remind us of how important it was for us—and him—that we finish school. And I’m so grateful now for that. He was always really concerned that we might fall into the wrong crowd and get mixed up in drugs and things like that. We had short conversations, but they were weighted. I could tell it was really important to him," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said.

Earnhardt went on to have a successful Cup Series career in the wake of his father's tragic passing in the 2001 Daytona 500. He won 26 Cup Series races, including two Daytona 500s, and was ultimately inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2021.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. praised NASCAR, COTA for a great race on Sunday

The third race of the NASCAR Cup Series season is in the books after the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday. One who was pleased with the on-track product was Dale Earnhardt Jr., who took to social media following the race to express his feelings on the event.

In a post via X, Earnhardt Jr. praised both NASCAR and COTA for the exciting on-track action.

"Hell of a race today. @COTA @NASCAR," Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrote.

Sunday's race was won by Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell. It was his second win of the 2025 season and 11th career Cup victory.