"We’ve done good because of my dad": When Kelley Earnhardt reflected on her NASCAR journey as Dale Jr.'s confidant

Team co-owner Kelley Earnhardt once spoke about the example her father, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, set for her as she climbed the business world of motorsports. Kelley has been a part of her brother Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s business team for years.

Over the last two decades, she has risen to the role of CEO at JR Motorsports. Kelley attributed her ability to balance her personal and business relationship with her brother to her father, who started his own racing team, Dale Earnhardt Inc., in 1984.

Kelley has worked with her brother, the twenty-six Cup Series race winner, professionally since 2001, managing the licensing and marketing side of his racing career. She was also involved in his move from DEI to Hendrick Motorsports. The year after that, the siblings started JR Motorsports, an Xfinity Series team that has won multiple championships.

Speaking about her ability to separate the family and business side of her relationship with Dale Jr., Kelley Earnhardt credited her dad for setting an example. She said in an interview from 2010 (via Fox Sports):

“I think we’ve all done good with it because of my dad. Tony (Eury) Sr. worked with my dad, we grew up under my dad and dad always had a way of teaching you how to keep things separate. … We had a good teacher from that standpoint.”

Kelley was also credited by her Hall of Famer brother for her work ethic in the racing world, specifically in their racing organization. Dale Jr. said (via Fox Sports):

“Kelley’s pretty much handled the daily activities here over the last several years anyway. … I can really involve myself basically as much as I feel like it, which makes it a lot easier for me to focus on my real job.”

Most recently, Kelley Earnhardt became the first female owner of a racing team in 18 seasons, and second overall in the history of the Xfinity Series, to have won a title. The #7 team with Justin Allgaier won the 2024 Xfinity Championship for JR Motorsports.

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Kelley Earnhardt shared a funny anecdote about a fight with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr and sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller celebrate after winning the 2024 Xfinity Series championship at Phoenix Raceway - Source: Imagn

The siblings, who have worked together for more than two decades now, had some hilarious misunderstandings during their working relationship. Speaking in an interview with Fox Sports in 2010, Kelley Earnhardt recounted a heated conversation between her brother and her one night at the office, leading to Kelley raising her voice. Earnhardt Jr. left the room but returned later with an HR report.

Kelley recounted (via Fox Sports):

“About 45 minutes later, he came back with a slip of paper and he had went to the [human resources] office and he had me wrote up. He said, ‘HR is scared to come in here and give you this, and so I need you to sign this piece of paper.’"

Kelley clarified that the conversation was familial and not official and that the siblings shared a laugh about the whole situation.