Kelley Earnhardt Miller, daughter of the late former Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt Sr., recently shared how she used to feel when watching her father on TV. Earnhardt Miller is also co-owner of Xfinity team JR Motorsports, with her brother and former Cup Series Driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Seven-time Cup champion Earnhardt Sr. was a highly competitive driver. His fierce and aggressive racing style helped him to dominate the Cup series throughout his 26-year career. With his skill and experience, Earnhardt Sr. managed to win 76 Cup races, placing him 8th among drivers with the most wins in the Cup Series.
Over time, he was also nicknamed "The Intimidator" for the way he drove against his competitors. Earnhardt Sr.'s son Dale Jr. followed in his father's footsteps. He also drove in NASCAR, where he prevailed with 26 wins in the Cup Series, and 24 in the Xfinity Series.
Kelly and her brother Dale Jr. grew up watching their father compete in NASCAR. She recently shed light on how she felt while watching her father on TV, in an interview with Fox Sports' Steve Byrnes. When asked if she got emotional while watching TV Specials about her dad, Earnhardt said:
"I really didn't, then Carson kept looking, he was like 'is that gonna make you cry?' But I developed an attitude about it a couple weeks beforehand that was just like, I'm going to be positive, I want to celebrate, I want to laugh, I want to think about the memories, but it's still you know, it can get to me when I see my dad's like talking and really see him you know, coming out, and it's easier to listen to other people tell stories about it and laugh and you know that kind of thing, than to watch him himself," [04:47]
JR Motorsports, co-owned by Kelly Earnhardt and her brother Dale Jr. currently runs four full-time teams in the Xfinity Series, driving the Chevrolet Camaro. Through the years, JR Motorsports has secured three championships and 56 race wins in the Xfinity Series. As things currently stand, their #7 team, driven by Justin Allgaier is P2 in the driver standings this season, while sharing a total of three victories between him and their #1 driver, Sam Mayer.
"Don't think it bothered us as much" - Kelley Earnhardt shed light on her family life with Dale and Teresa Earnhardt
Kelley Earnhardt Miller and Dale Earnhardt Jr. faced a challenging childhood with their father's second marriage with Teresa Houston, whom Earnhardt Sr. married in 1982. Born to Brenda Gee Jackson and Dale Earnhardt Sr., Kelley and Dale Jr. experienced their parents' separation soon after Dale Jr.'s birth.
In an episode of the Dirty Mo Media podcast, Kelly Earnhardt and Dale Jr. spoke about their early life and it was to experience living in a uniquely structured family and how the relationship between herself and Dale Jr. helped the two:
"We just didn't have the right family unit, I'd say, knowing what family should look like, now. But I don't think it bothered us as much in the end because we had such a good relationship... We had a good life, you know, we had a roof over our heads and all that kind of thing. It's just that in the family with Dad and Teresa, it just wasn't very family loving, you know, situation." Kelley Earnhardt said [05:49]
Kelley Earnhardt and Dale Jr. have provided each other with unwavering support and are now proud owners of JR Motorsports, carrying forward the Earnhardt legacy.