"He could be a plumber" - $300M-worth Dale Earnhardt Jr. once reflected on growing up with his dad Dale Earnhardt

Dale Earnhardt Jr. once opened up about his childhood days and growing up with his father, Dale Earnhardt. In an interview that dates back to the late 1980s, the former NASCAR driver revealed that to him, being the son of one of NASCAR's most successful drivers, did not make much of a difference.

During his days of racing, Dale Earnhardt was a sensation to race fans. A seven-time Cup Series champion and the winner of 76 Cup Series races, the Kannapolis-born driver ranks amongst the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time.

Earnhardt Jr. was asked what it was like being the son of the legendary NASCAR driver. He was of the opinion that he loved and respected his father, no matter the profession. Racing was his "job", and he was "pretty" good at it. He spoke about this during an interview with Steve Byrnes.

"Well yeah, lots of the time that people ask me or kids pick on me at school or whatever. It's nothing special, but it's just a job that my dad does," Junior said. "He could be a plumber you know. He's just pretty good at what he does. It's not different to me than anything else."

Following this, he was asked if he had a hard time navigating his time at school because of his father's fame. Earnhardt Jr., wearing a gray RCR team wear and a red Chevrolet cap, had a subtle answer.

"You know I haven't recently been going to high school. [But] I got a lot of friends, you know, I don't really have no problem," he said.

Unfortunately, Dale Earnhardt experienced a heavy crash and suffered Basilar Skull Fracture during the 2001 Daytona 500 race, which led to his untimely death on February 18, 2001.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. wanted to be a race car driver after growing up

Dale Earnhardt Jr. before the 16th Annual Hampton Heat at Langley Speedway. (Source: Imagn)

Dale Earnhardt Jr., the son of Dale Earnhardt, one of NASCAR's greatest 75 drivers, had the vision to become a race car driver someday. And it came true in 1999 during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, roughly a decade after he spoke about it.

Byrnes, in the interview, asked Earnhardt Jr. if he wanted to pursue racing as his career and, if not what he wanted to be in life. Answering this, the latter stated:

"Well, I wanna be a race car driver someday. It's a great sport, I love it you know. It's all I've ever known. Racing."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. raced in NASCAR for nearly two decades and competed in 631 Cup Series races. He claimed 26 Cup Series victories, 260 top-10s, and 15 pole positions. He retired from the sport in 2017 after the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead, and his net worth currently stands at $300 million (as per Celebrity Net Worth).