Kelley Earnhardt on "living out her dream" with Danica Patrick through Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s NASCAR Xfinity team

CEO of the NASCAR Xfinity Series team JR Motorsports, Kelley Earnhardt has been known for her contribution to the sport, as has the vast Earnhardt family over the years.

A vital part of one of the premier teams in the junior nationwide series of the sport, Kelley has been able to provide several drivers their first chance in NASCAR, as has her brother and former driver himself, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

On a recent episode of the Dale Jr. Reloaded podcast, the 51-year-old spoke about how that experience for her as an individual has been. JR Motorsports, throughout its tenure in the sport, has allowed seven drivers their first chance in the NASCAR Xfinity Series ever, with names such as current Stewart-Haas Racing driver in the Cup Series Josh Berry.

Another highlight name to have gone through the JR Motorsports roster over the years has been former driver Danica Patrick. Even after her retirement, Patrick's presence in the sport is still talked about to date. Kelley Earnhardt touched on the same and said:

"The two that come to mind are Danica Patrick and Josh Berry. We're about the underdog. Danica was just crazy, for me personally was like living out my dream racing cars and having a female here and so that was just really incredible."

Kelley Earnhardt further added on Danica Patrick's racing background, coming from America's premier open-wheeled series, IndyCar Series. She said:

"Coming off of IndyCar and her success there and getting in stock cars part-time. We had her for two years, only ten-ish events. A difficult path for her but very exciting."

A look back at when Dale Earnhardt introduced Kelley Earnhardt to late model racing

Despite being one of the building forces behind her brother Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s NASCAR Xfinity Series teams, Kelley Earnhardt also has personal experience from behind the wheel of an actual racecar.

The 51-year-old recalled the opportunity during her college years and told racingnews.co:

“I went to college in Wilmington and stayed there three years and finished up my schooling at UNC Charlotte. During that two-year period as I finished up school, my dad really begged me to come back home. My dad said, ‘If you move back home, I’ll buy you a race car. You can race. You can get your own apartment.’"

Meanwhile, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Martinsville Speedway this weekend for the Cook Out 400 on Sunday.