“Something that’s her own”: When Dale Earnhardt Jr. opened up on rediscovering wife Amy’s ‘purpose’ with High Rock

Dale Earnhardt Jr's premium vodka brand High Rocks has gained quite some popularity amongst fans since it was launched in 2022. The 50-year-old revealed that he wanted his wife Amy Earnhardt to have something of her own and hence invested in the brand.

High Rock was launched with Amy and Dale Earnhardt Jr as owners, alongside Sugarlands Distilling Co. in 2022. Dale Jr, who was earlier known for his iconic red livery with the Budweiser sponsorship, had the opportunity to invest in a new vodka brand with Sugarlands. He once explained that he wanted to have the ownership to something that would pass onto his kids in the future.

"They [Sugarlands] came into NASCAR around five years ago," Forbes quoted Earnhardt Jr. "We began conversations back then about how we could work together. I was really interested – in that point of my life – to do equity pieces instead of a PSA where they’d pay me a flat fee over the course of a year, two years or three years to just promote a brand."

"I wanted to have ownership in it and have something long term that I could pass on to my kids. Everything I’m focusing on now is equity things that should succeed long term."

Other than his kids, Dale Earnhardt Jr. felt the need for his wife to own something and High Rocks came in as the perfect opportunity. He explained that the brand ticked all the boxes.

"From time to time, she was involved in a photo shoot here or a photo shoot there, or she’s been roped into partnerships I already curated like Nationwide. While those things are great, I was thinking for a long time that I want her to have something that’s her own, that she’s part of and she feels invested in. This checks a lot of those boxes."

What makes High Rock more special for Dale Jr is that it is "88 Proof," a number that is significant to his career with Hendrick Motorsports, where he drove the Chevy under the same tag between 2008 and 2017, winning the Daytona 500 in 2014.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr mentions wife Amy's sacrifice for his racing

Dale Earnhardt Jr. met Amy Reimann in 2009 when she contacted him to redesign his residence in Kannapolis. They eventually got engaged in 2015 and married the following year.

He revealed that after meeting him, Amy sacrificed almost a decade of her life to promote his racing. High Rocks came to him as the perfect opportunity to pay her back with something that she owned.

"When we met, she put everything in her life on hold for almost a decade so I could keep racing. It was all about me and what I needed to do in the moment, and she was really patient. She gave up a lot of her professional pursuits. Over the last several years, we’ve had a lot of conversations about how she needs a purpose in her life in the professional stance."

In just two years, High Rock has grown to be a popular drink among fans.