"We didn't talk about Dad's death" - Kelley Earnhardt opens up about her relationship with Dale Jr. after losing their father

Kelley Earnhardt opened up about her relationship with her younger brother, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a conversation with Kenny Wallace on YouTube dated June 13, She reflected on how their bond has grown and evolved over the years, particularly after the loss of their father, Dale Earnhardt, in 2001.

Earnhardt described how she took on the role of a "mother figure" and managed everything in his career until almost a decade ago. Despite their close bond, they grieved their father’s death separately and hardly talked to one another about it during that period.

"Probably just 10-13 years ago, I could pretty much tell him whatever to do. If I said such and such needed to be done for these calls or whatever business-wise. He was busy being a racecar driver and I did the business and that was what we were doing." she told Wallace [at 39:24]

"It's funny, we never — I was always the mother figure, we have a great relationship. But it's not like we ever spend a lot of time in each other's minds. When my dad died, we didn't even hardly talk about my dad's death. He did his things with his friends and I grieved in my way. We didn't sit down and talk about [that], we do that a lot more often now, which I love."

Kelley, who serves as the co-owner of JR Motorsports, has managed Dale Jr's career ever since he got into racing. The two siblings have shared a tight-knit relationship, which is adored by NASCAR fans. They often share memories from their childhood and their experiences growing up in the Earnhardt household.

The siblings remain one of NASCAR's most popular figures and have even expressed interest in becoming Cup team owners, provided the right opportunity arises.

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Kelley Earnhardt once opened up about her strong bond with Dale Jr.

In a conversation with Kyle Petty for "Motorsports on NBC" in 2020, Kelley Earnhardt opened up about her childhood and the strong bond she developed with her brother Dale Jr.

After moving into Dale Sr.'s residence at Lake Norman in 1991, Kelley and Dale Jr.'s relationship strengthened in their father's absence. With Dale Sr. busy with his NASCAR schedule and frequent hunting trips, Kelley took on the role of a mother figure, supporting and cheering on Dale Jr.

"I think that when it really heightened when we were at our dad's and we were just left with our nanny's and then it was just me and him looking at each other, 'Okay we are the only ones here, Who's gonna tell me I did a good job? or who's gonna be at school to help me out? or who's gonna go to this soccer match'" Kelley Earnhardt said. [4:29]

Kelley Earnhardt added that she cherished the time when her father drove them to school, but things changed when he got married to Teresa Houston after they had moved into the new home.