“He would always come in about noon” - Kerry Earnhardt recalls Dale Earnhardt Jr. being fired from their dad's dealership

Kerry Earnhardt recently recalled a story of his half-brother Dale Earnhardt Jr. getting fired from their father Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s dealership. Dale Jr. had worked as a mechanic at Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet in Newton, North Carolina, during his early days.

After completing their high school education, Dale Jr. and Kerry joined their legendary father's Chevrolet dealership. Dale Jr. initially used to change oil before moving to a different position and worked around two-and-a-half years at the shop.

This week, Dale Earnhardt Jr. sat down with his brother Kerry Earnhardt to discuss their early days’ memories, meeting his father, and many more. Reflecting on how Dale Jr.’s time at their dad’s dealership came to an end, Kerry stated that the NASCAR Hall of Famer had a habit of showing up late—around noon, due to which he had to lose his job.

“He would always come in about noon,” Kerry said.

Disagreeing with Kerry’s comments, Dale Jr. said:

“Horse S***, I would be 15 minutes late! 15-20 minutes late!, Man, one or two days maybe I came in that late, but not like, I wasn't doing that every day. Dude, they would have fired the hell out of me.

Recalling Dale Jr.’s firing incident, Kerry said:

"He'd come in to work, and old Bill Kitchens was the service manager. And Jr. (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) comes walking in, and Bill says, Dale, come here; I need to talk to you. I don’t remember what y'all's discussion was, but I remember he said, come over here; let me show you something. He grabs him, with an arm around his shoulder, and walks out. See that sign right there? That's about two letters from getting your ass fired. Remember that? I think that's when he was firing you."

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. once recalls his job at his dad’s Chevrolet dealership

Eight years ago, during a media session at Daytona International Speedway ahead of the 2016 NASCAR Cup Series season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared his experience of working as an oil changer at his father’s shop.

Recalling it, Dale Jr. said (FOX Sports):

"I changed a lot of oil. I know that. And I had a lot of fun doing that, and I think I was there for two-and-a-half years. It was a fun time. I haven't really run across anybody that has said, 'You used to change oil in my car,' back then."

Apart from his early days job, Dale Earnhardt Jr. became NASCAR’s most popular driver among fans. He competed over two decades in NASCAR, earning two Xfinity Series championships and 50 wins across NASCAR’s top two-tier series.