Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Lake Norman childhood home: Exploring the roots of the NASCAR legend

Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently reminisced about his childhood memories at the Lake Norman residence, sharing pictures that captured his time with his father. Reflecting on those cherished times, Dale Jr. expressed his desire to revisit the old lake house.

Dale Jr. and his sister Kelley lived with their mother, Brenda, until a house fire forced her to give up the custody of her children to Dale Sr. The siblings moved to the Lake Norman residence in 1981, where Junior spent the next decade until his high school graduation.

The 49-year-old NASCAR Hall of Famer shared nostalgic pictures from his childhood, including those from his dad's wedding to Teresa in 1982, his pet Irish Setter named 'Rocket,' his Christmas presents over the years, and a silhouette of his father fishing in the lake.

In a recent post on Instagram, Earnhardt Jr. shared how his friend's recent fishing trip near the lakehouse evoked strong memories of his childhood.

"A buddy of mine fished by the old lake house I grew up in. Would love to take a peak inside. Lots of memories. Dad purchased it in 1979 and I moved in during 1981 till I graduated high school in 1992." the caption read.

In the comments section, Earnhardt Jr.'s followers urged him to visit the lakehouse. He clarified that he cannot go knocking on the door, despite it being located on the Earnhardt estate.

"Seen a ton of comments.. I can't go knock on the door. No one lives there unfortunately. It's also still in the Earnhardt estate" his comment read.

The 49-year-old yearns to take a peek inside his childhood home, eager to relive the memories with his family.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s sister reflects on their time at Lake Norman house

In a conversation with Kyle Petty on NBC, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s sister, Kelley, reflected on growing up in the Lake Norman residence. She noted that it was a "pretty big deal" for the siblings as they transitioned from a rental to a two-story house.

"It was a big deal because he [Dale Sr.] had this two-storey 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." she said [from 2:00].

Dale Sr. married Teresa Earnhardt a year after his kids moved into the Lake Norman house. Kelley mentioned that while they had fun, the atmosphere changed after the marriage.

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

Kelley added that their time at the Lake House coincided with Dale Sr.'s rise in NASCAR. His busy schedule and frequent hunting trips meant he was often away from home, which strengthened her bond with her brother.