“Don’t be afraid”: When Kelley Earnhardt revealed her survival advice for women in male dominated fields

JR Motorsports co-owner Kelley Earnhardt Miller is a prominent female leader in the male-dominated world of NASCAR. She has played a key role in building JRM into a championship-winning organization and is highly regarded in the industry for her financial and business acumen.

Earnhardt Miller, the daughter of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt and elder sister to Dale Jr., had a racing background herself, frequently competing at Hickory Motor Speedway and Myrtle Beach Speedway. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, she has managed her brother’s successful NASCAR career.

In a 2013 interview with MomandMore.com, Earnhardt Miller shared valuable advice for female professionals looking to succeed in a male-dominated field. She highlighted the importance of exuding confidence through body language and conversations. She encouraged women not to hesitate when sharing their opinions.

"Always have presence and confidence. From handshakes to speaking up and don’t be afraid to interject yourself into conversations," Earnhardt Miller said.

Having raced in the mid-'90s, Earnhardt Miller reflected on a time when it wasn’t the norm for females to participate in motorsports, and they weren’t always welcome in garages, a space reserved for men. In a 2018 interview with Graham Bensinger, she said:

"It was such a different time for me when I raced in the mid 90s. Women, it was still weird to go to the race shop because the guys were hanging out there and they were telling stories and doing what they were doing. That was their time to go do 'Guy Talk' and the girls weren't supposed to be around or listen." [from 3:22]

"If you walked in, it was like 'Now Kelley's here, don't be talking about that or whatever.' Society was kind of that way too, a girl wasn't supposed to be driving race cars, that was for boys," she added.

The JR Motorsports co-owner played a key role in bringing Danica Patrick to NASCAR, helping pave the way for greater diversity and inclusion in the sport. In recent years, the sport has seen more young female racers thrive in junior categories, as well as women taking on various roles within race teams.

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When Dale Jr. commented on Kelley Earnhardt's racing career

Kelley Earnhardt Miller showed great potential when she raced Late Models in the mid 90s, impressing her father, Dale Sr., who reportedly said she could be the next great driver from the Earnhardt family. She had inherited traits of 'The Intimidator', as she was known for her aggression, mental toughness and willingness to push the car to its limits.

In a 2010 interview with ESPN, Dale Jr. said that his sister had the potential to succeed as a racer at a higher level. He said:

"She could have had a lot of opportunities had it been a different environment and a different culture and a different climate," Earnhardt Jr. said. "She was hardheaded and tough and drove hard. She would eventually have polished her abilities to where she would have been a pretty good race car driver at the higher level."

Kelley's cousin, Tony Eury Jr. once said that she had more talent than any of the Earnhardt kids. She ended her racing career in 1996, when she was working full-time for Action Performance and decided to pivot toward the business side of the sport.