NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr., wife Amy and their daughter were once involved in a scary plane crash

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of the most recognizable figures in NASCAR history. The 15-time Most Popular Driver's life nearly took a dark turn five years ago when he, his wife Amy, and their daughter Isla were involved in a frightening plane crash.

The crash occurred at the Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee in August 2019. At the time, Earnhardt Jr. was working for NASCAR on NBC and was headed to Tennessee to help broadcast the upcoming Cup Series race at Bristol that weekend.

However, on the Thursday of that week, the two-time Daytona 500 champion's plane rolled off the end of the runway at the airport and caught fire. An FAA statement according to The Tennessean read:

"A Cessna Citation rolled off the end of Runway 24 and caught fire after landing at Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee at 3:40 p.m. today."

Luckily, the Earnhardt family and the two pilots escaped the wreckage without any serious injuries. Earnhardt Jr.'s older sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, who co-owns JR Motorsports with him, posted on X (formerly Twitter) following the crash to provide an update. She wrote:

"I can confirm Dale, Amy & Isla along with his two pilots were involved in a crash in Bristol TN this afternoon. Everyone is safe and has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation. We have no further information at this time. Thank you for your understanding."

The 26-time Cup Series winner and NASCAR Hall of Famer returned to the broadcast booth that year to finish out the season.

---

Dale Earnhardt Jr. returned to NASCAR competition last month at Bristol

In an ironic twist, Dale Earnhardt Jr. made his annual appearance in the Xfinity Series last month at the Bristol Motor Speedway, the same track he was headed to when his plane crashed five years ago. The son of the late Dale Earnhardt ran at the 0.5-mile track last year as well.

Earnhardt Jr. finished seventh in last month's Food City 300 at Bristol. Going into the race, the North Carolina native noted he didn't have any future plans to pilot an Xfinity Series car again. Yet, in a post-race interview with CW, the driver of the #88 hinted that he may have one more race in him.

"I'm thrilled (to) come back here and be competitive," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Maybe I'll get back in this thing. I'm sure I'll miss it. (I'll) probably end up signing something in 2026."

After retiring from full-time NASCAR competition at the end of the 2017 season, Earnhardt Jr. joined the NASCAR on NBC broadcast team where he commentated for six seasons. In 2025, Earnhardt Jr. will join the new Amazon/TNT Sports broadcast team.