"She told me I shouldn't have KFC as a sponsor" - Dale Earnhardt Jr. reflects on the time Pamela Anderson pushed back against his NASCAR deal

NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently recalled the time Hollywood celebrity Pamela Anderson urged him to cancel his sponsorship deal with popular fast-food chain KFC. As a long-time ambassador for PETA, Anderson wanted one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers to refrain from promoting the Louisville-based brand.

Dale Jr. made select Busch Series starts in the #81 Chevy between 2004 and '05 for Chance 2 Motorsports, a team he co-owned with his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt. The #81 team was sponsored by Kentucky Fried Chicken, which also launched a personalized KFC bucket as part of the partnership.

In a recent episode of Bless Your 'Hardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a candid conversation with his wife, Amy, about the various traps he used to get rid of mice. As they wrapped up the discussion, he jokingly mentioned that they might get a call from animal rights organization PETA, which reminded him of the letter he once received from Pamela Anderson.

Dale Jr. shared that he once received a letter from the Baywatch star, urging him to stop advertising KFC. He speculated that she might not have written the letter herself.

"When I was driving the KFC car, I got a letter from Pamela Anderson and PETA... I think she was dating Kid Rock at the time. She wrote a letter telling me how, I shouldn't have Kentucky Fried Chicken as a sponsor," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. [from 24:20]

Amy Earnhardt interrupted, asking if it was before he met the Hollywood celebrity on a bus, referring to his past interaction with Anderson. He replied:

"Right before, she probably didn't write the damn letter. Who knows? I don't know. It was funny, man the things that would happen back in the day."

Pamela Anderson rose to fame in the '90s as a Playboy model and for her role as C.J. Parker in Baywatch. She attended several NASCAR races during the sport's peak years.

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When Pamela Anderson blessed Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car with a kiss

Pamela Anderson attended the 2002 UAW DaimlerChrysler race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and made a pre-race stop at Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s #8 Budweiser Chevy. When Dale Earnhardt Jr. asked her to bless the car, she leaned over and planted a kiss beside his name.

"What do ya say to Pam Anderson?! She wanted to know where the party was tonight, and I said we needed her to bless our race car. She leaned over and planted a big kiss on the car right above the driver's door, right next to my name. It seemed to help it for awhile," Dale Jr. said via Crash.net.

NASCAR 2005: Nextel All-Star Challenge - (Source: Getty)

Anderson watched the first 25 laps of the race from Dale Jr.'s #8 Bud pit box, where the racer ultimately finished 16th at the checkered flag. She also served as the Grand Marshal for the 21st All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2005.