"You never failed at making me feel loved" - When Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s emotional letter brought his mother Brenda to tears

During his farewell NASCAR Cup Series campaign in 2017, Dale Earnhardt Jr. penned an emotional letter to his mother, Brenda Jackson, for Mother's Day. He reflected on cherished childhood memories and the sacrifices she made for her kids.

Kelley Earnhardt and Dale Jr. were born to Dale Sr. and Brenda Gee, who got separated early into their marriage, with Brenda retaining custody of the two children. However, after a house fire in 1981, she gave up custody, and both kids moved to their father's residence at Lake Norman.

In a 2017 feature released by ESPN's SportsCenter, Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrote a heartfelt letter to his mother and read it aloud. Unbeknownst to him, his mother, Brenda Jackson, was listening in the next room and teared up as she heard the letter.

"Dear Brenda, I thank God every day that you and Dad brought me and my sister into this world. But I think back as a six-year-old kid, you a single mother, us losing everything in a house fire. You gave custody of us two kids to our father knowing that he could provide a promising future," Dale Jr. read.

"I remember your 12-hour round trips for your summer visit. I remember your Norfolk apartment floor covered in presents each Christmas. I'm thankful that we are together today as I'm now older and wiser to appreciate the sacrifices you made for us. You never failed at making me feel loved. I love you, Happy Mother's Day Mom," he added.

After the house fire, Brenda Jackson moved back to Virginia and married firefighter Willie Jackson in 1985. The couple moved to North Carolina in 2004, with Brenda reuniting with her kids as she took up a position at JR Motorsports.

Kelley and Dale Earnhardt Jr's mother passed away at age 65 after a battle with cancer in 2019.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s sister reflects on splitting with their mother after house fire

Kelley Earnhardt, co-owner of JR Motorsports and Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s sister, once reflected on her childhood memories with their mother. She elaborated on how the house fire forced them to move to their father's home.

In a conversation with Kyle Petty for Motorsports on NBC in 2020, she reflected on the pivotal episode when they moved to their father's place when he was getting started in his NASCAR Cup Series career.

"Just being kids, just getting by. My mom worked at the mill... We would go stay at my grandmother's in the afternoon after school. Just kind of normal, it felt normal." [at 2:00]

"It was a big deal because he [Dale Sr.] had this two-story house on the lake, we moved out of a rental, you know, a one-story little mill rental. We moved there in '81 and he had bought this lake place in '79. He had won the Rookie of the Year and a championship. Middle of '81 we moved in with him."

Kelley added that her bond with Dale Earnhardt Jr. grew stronger during the period. Their relationship has only grown closer over the years, running one of NASCAR's most successful Xfinity Series teams.