"We had our foot in the door": Kelley Earnhardt on carrying her dad's legacy with Dale Jr. through JR Motorsports

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Daytona 500-Qualifying - Source: Imagn
Kelley Earnhardt interacting with the media ahead of the Qualifying session of the 2010 NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 (Source: Imagn)

Kelley Earnhardt Miller, the daughter of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Sr., is a familiar face in the sport. The JR Motorsports CEO and co-owner spoke about how she and her brother Dale Earnhardt Jr. are keeping their dad's legacy alive during a recent podcast appearance with Kyle Petty.

Kelley used to race stock cars but decided to end her racing career to manage Dale Jr. after her brother entered the competition. The North Carolina-based former racer currently manages and co-owns JR Motorsports with her brother. She has also been responsible for bringing in talents such as Danica Patrick, Chase Elliott, and Tyler Reddick to NASCAR's national series.

Kelley appeared on a recent episode of the NASCAR Insiders Roundtable podcast hosted by Petty and was joined by Jordan Wood Hicks, Carson Kvapil, and Joey Dennewitz. They discussed the future of NASCAR and how to introduce and nurture young talents into the sport.

During the conversation, Petty questioned Kelley about the importance of getting the right opportunity in NASCAR.

"That's the way Dale and I have always looked at ourselves, is that we had our foot in the door. The door was wide open. We were there, we got to go in any room we wanted to go in," Kelley replied, speaking about the privileges they got due to Dale Sr. (5:43 onwards).
"That's why we started Junior Motorsports, to give people that opportunity," she added (6:19 onwards).
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Both Kelley and Dale Jr. seem to be striving hard to continue their dad's legacy in the sport through JR Motorsports.


"I think it’s hard for a lot of people to understand how close we are" - Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the bond with his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller

Dale Earnhardt Jr. ahead of the 16th Annual Hampton Heat race (Source: Imagn)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. ahead of the 16th Annual Hampton Heat race (Source: Imagn)

After hanging her racing suit, Kelley Earnhardt Miller began managing her brother Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s career in NASCAR. She has a degree in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina and joined JR Motorsports as a General Manager.

Kelley eventually became the CEO and co-owner of the team with Dale Jr. During an interview with NASCAR.com in 2016, she opened up about her bond with her brother:

"My dad was committed to his own (career) as a driver, we were home with nannies and family and things like that. It just really made Dale and I close and want to look after each other because our world, you know, it was different than the typical family."

Earnhardt Jr. shared similar sentiments about Kelley. He was quoted as saying during a media interaction at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in February 2016:

"I think it’s hard for a lot of people to understand how close we are. Ours is super-close because there’s so much we had to do, and we had to lean on each other and depend on each other. We never stopped."

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Edited by Prathik BR
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