"We felt unloved then": When Kelley Earnhardt reflected on childhood challenges with Dale Jr.

Six years ago, NASCAR team owner, Kelley Earnhardt Miller and her brother Dale Jr. discussed feeling 'unloved' when they left to live with their father during childhood. Kelley is the CEO of JR Motorsports, the NASCAR Xfinity Series team she co-owns with Dale Jr. She also runs other businesses including the DEJ Management and Dirty Mo Media.

In a 2019 episode of the "Dale Jr. Download" podcast, Kelley opened up about her childhood with her younger brother and talked about their family situation growing up.

"We had our feelings then of how we felt unloved or just didn’t have the right family unit, I would say, knowing what family should be like now. But I don’t think it bothered us as much then because we had such a good relationship," Kelley said (via USA Today).

"You felt like he didn’t like you, [like] he didn’t love you during times when we were in trouble," she added.

Kelley and Dale Jr.'s mother Brenda Jackson’s house burned down and they had to move in with their dad, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt Sr.

The episode aired a few months after their mother passed away following a battle with cancer in April 2019.

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"It really hurt his relationship with Dad" - Kelley Earnhardt on attending military school with Dale Jr.

Kelley Earnhardt graduated with a degree in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina and previously worked as the VP of Sales at Action Performance. In 2022, she spoke about not always following Dale Sr.'s rules and attending military school with her brother Dale Jr.

"We were never into drugs or alcohol or sneaking out of the house. It was simply not following the rules. When Dad made the rules, they were the rules. There was a time after he and Teresa got married. We had a new mom, and there were a lot of changes and all these rules," Kelley said. (via NBC Sports)

While their father focused on racing, they moved a lot and went to different schools, including a military one. Dale Sr. later married Teresa Houston, which further complicated matters within their house.

"Military school was hard. Dale would tell you he hated it. I don’t remember hating it. I was just kind of the person who did what you were told. I think Dale probably thinks it was good for him, but it really hurt his relationship with Dad," she added.

Kelley's team won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship last season after Justin Allgaier won the title with JR Motorsports.