Known widely as the son of racing legend Dale Earnhardt Sr., Dale Earnhardt Jr. has built a successful NASCAR career on his own right. He recently opened up about his complicated relationship with his father in the upcoming four-part documentary, “Earnhardt”, premiering on May 22 on Amazon Prime Video.
Dale Earnhardt Sr. is regarded as one of the greatest NASCAR drivers in history. His tragic demise in an accident during the 2001 Daytona 500 still lingers in the NASCAR community. Dale Jr., then a young man, picked up from where his father left off, carving a significant presence in the racing world.
The relationship between Dale Sr. and Dale Jr., however, strayed from what would be considered traditional. “Earnhardt” gives an in-depth look into this dynamic, featuring interviews with Dale Jr. and his sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller.
In a clip from the “Earnhardt” documentary, Dale Jr. reflects on his father, saying, “I admired everything about my dad. I admired how dedicated he was to racing.” This admiration extended from the man on the speedway to the role of a father.
Despite his admiration for his father, Dale Jr. made an honesty loaded admission. He confessed that racing, not parenting, was his father’s primary focus. “Everything else took a backseat,” he admitted. This understanding shaped Dale Jr’s awareness of the racing world and, pivotally, his own racing career which began when he was just 17.
Remarkably, Dale Jr. confesses that his father saw him differently after he won his first race. “He looked at me like he’d never looked at me before. I was watching my dad live this dream that I wanted for myself,” he remarked.
Earnhardt,” directed by Joshua Altman and executive produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Sara Bernstein, Christopher St. John, Justin Wilkes, Dan Lindsay, TJ Martin, Tim Clark, and John Dahl; analyzes the profound impact Dale Sr.’s prioritizing of racing had on his family, which remains a most intriguing aspect within the NASCAR community.
