Dale Earnhardt Jr. shows off rare 1980s Dirt Helmet from his Dad's Collection

NASCAR veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a recent post on social media showed a glimpse of Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s gear from the initial years of his dirt racing career in the early 1980s. Dale Sr. holds the record for winning the Cup Series Championship seven times.

Dale Earnhardt Sr. started his racing career as a dirt road racer after dropping out of high school in 1967. After learning the basics of driving on dirt tracks, then 28-year-old Earnhardt Sr. made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at the 1975 World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He competed part-time before joining the Cup Series as a full-time driver in 1979 for Osterlund Racing and was honored "Rookie of the Year".

In a recent post on Instagram by Earnhardt Sr.'s son, Dale Jr. showed off a rare dirt helmet from his father's collection, captioning:

"One of Dad's old dirt helmets from the early 1980s"

Check out the screenshot of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Instagram story below:

Instagram story shared by NASCAR veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jr. is a third-generation NASCAR driver. He retired as a full-time driver in 2017 and is now a broadcaster for the sport. He is also a two-time Xfinity Series championship winner and co-owns JR Motorsports with his sister Kelly Earnhardt Miller.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared a victory lane moment with his father at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Two-time Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. made his debut as a full-time driver in the Cup Series in 2000 piloting the #8 Chevy for Dale Earnhardt Inc.

According to Dale Jr, his most prolific win in his career was the 2000 Winston All-Star race in Charlotte, North Carolina. The win didn't award any points but it validated the win for the #8 team as Dale Jr. passed two of the greatest drivers Dale Jarrett and his father Dale Earnhardt to clinch his first All-Star win.

Dale Jr also recalled a moment from the victory lane celebration at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He said:

"What made this night the greatest in my racing career, though, was not what I achieved, but who I shared it with. My dad finished third in the race, and as soon as he got out of his car, he hurriedly changed clothes and ran to Victory Lane to celebrate as the winning car owner and proud father."

Dale Jr added:

"It was a great night made perfect by his presence. It will never be topped."

Dale Jr became the first rookie to win an All-Star race.

Dale Earnhardt, the following year on February 18, 2001, died in a multi-car crash at Daytona International Speedway on the final lap of the race. The autopsy later revealed that Dale Sr. sustained severe skull injuries. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2006 and was also a member of the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame for the class of 2010.