"It was a big deal" - When Kelley Earnhardt recalled moving with Dale Jr. to lake house after mom's home burned down

Kelley Earnhardt and Dale Jr. were born to NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt and his second wife, Brenda Jackson. The couple divorced shortly after Junior's birth, with Brenda retaining custody of their children.

Dale Jr. and Kelley lived with their mom during their early childhood until a fire destroyed their home when the latter was eight years old. After the incident, the two kids moved to Dale Earnhardt's residence on Lake Norman, in the middle of 1981.

Kelley Earnhardt, co-owner of JR Motorsports, once reflected on how that particular episode influenced their childhood. She recalled early memories of growing up at her mom's house and how everything changed after the fire destroyed their home.

In a conversation with Kyle Petty for Motorsports on NBC in 2020, she said about her time at her mom's place:

"Just being kids, just getting by. My mom worked at the mill... We would go stay at my grandmother's in the afternoon after school. Just kind of normal, it felt normal." [at 2:00]

She opened up about moving to her father's place on Lake Norman after Dale Sr. had established himself in the NASCAR scene as a Cup champion.

"It was a big deal because he [Dale Sr.] had this two-story house on the lake, we moved out of a rental, you know, a one-story little mill rental. We moved there in '81 and he had bought this lake place in '79. He had won the Rookie of the Year and a championship. Middle of '81 we moved in with him."

Kelley Earnhardt added that her father drove them to school for a while, and they cherished their time with him. However, things changed when Dale Sr. married Teresa.

"I remember dad would have people over on off times, Doug Richert, the names of old would just all come over and ski. It was fun and then, it changed when he got married to Teresa."

---

Kelley Earnhardt on her strong bond with younger brother Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and her sister Kelley Earnhardt have shared a tight-knit relationship since their childhood, which continues to draw adoration. Currently serving as the co-owners of JR Motorsports, their relationship has grown stronger over the decades.

Kelley explained that it was their father's absence at their new home, which strengthened their bond, as she had to look after her younger brother. She described how their dad's busy NASCAR schedule and frequent hunting trips kept him occupied when he was home.

"I think that when it really heightened when we were at our dad's and we were just left with our nanny's and then it was just me and him looking at each other, 'Okay we are the only ones here, Who's gonna tell me I did a good job? or who's gonna be at school to help me out? or who's gonna go to this soccer match'" she told Petty in the aforementioned interivew. [4.29]