Dale Earnhardt is an inspiration for a lot of motorsports enthusiasts around the globe. But none more so than his own children. Dale Earnhardt Jr has grown up watching his dad rule the tracks of NASCAR. On a recent episode of Dale Earnhardt Jr’s podcast, the 48-year-old shared a light-hearted moment with his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller.
The siblings spoke about a column their dad had written back in the day. There, Earnhardt Sr had described one of his mornings, and it cracked both Dale Jr and his sister up.
Dale Earnhardt Sr and tennis? Tough to believe for his daughter
Dale Sr’s routine that morning was quite extraordinary. After he won at Bristol, the seven-time Cup Series champion got out of bed and ran two miles. He then proceeded to bike for another mile before spending an hour at the tennis court practicing his serve. While the first two points did not inspire much of a reaction from Kelley, the tennis part completely cracked her up. It was a wholesome moment between the siblings as they reminisced about their father.
“Dad would write a bi-monthly article. This is the second installment of that and now this is after he’s won Bristol. You’re gonna love this. ‘The other morning I jumped out of bed, ran two miles’,” said Dale Jr.
“Two miles? Must’ve run up to the end of the street and back,” Kelley Earnhardt Miller replied.
“Rode my bike another mile’,” Dale continued.
“What? I didn’t even know he owned a bike,” Kelley said.
“Wait till you hear the next one. ‘And then spent almost an hour on the tennis court practicing my serve’,” said Dale, before his sister laughed hysterically.
“Tennis court? Where do you go for that one at? A tennis court practicing his serve. I never knew that,” Kelley said, bursting into laughter.
“’All before it was time for breakfast’,” Dale added.
“I gotta recover…tennis court? I never knew, I can’t even. I can’t even picture it. Are we in jorts in the tennis court? Like where are we?” said Kelley in disbelief.
The exchange between the two was received fondly by fans, who felt like it was a heartwarming moment as the siblings remembered their father. One fan commented, “This is so good, because Dale Jr and Kelley are more than siblings, they’re best friends, and this is so amazing to watch.”
Another said, “I love seeing them going through their dads history and discovering it for the first time with them. They are such good people. My heart still breaks for the loss of their dad. We all miss him so much. A long time has passed, but it still feels like he’s right here. There’s two things that are larger then life, Elvis Presley & Dale Earnhardt.”
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What really forced Dale Earnhardt to write?
Dale Jr uncovered his dad’s abilities as a columnist and also spoke about what inspired him to have a go at writing. According to him, Dale Earnhardt had possibly collaborated with Joe Whitlock, who was a part of his PR group at the time. It was Whitlock who could have possibly asked his father to have a crack at writing in order to connect better with the fans.
“He would not have come to somebody and said, ‘Hey, I think I should do this.’ Joe or somebody went to Dad and said this will help you connect to fans. You’re a new guy, you’ve got to quickly make your name and establish yourself. Here’s a great way to do it,” said Dale Jr.
While it is uncertain how Dale Earnhardt would have done as a full-time columnist, he certainly won over his fans with his race craft. Today, the Earnhardt name is synonymous with success in all facets of motorsports. Fans will hope that his son reveals more pieces of priceless memorabilia connected to the NASCAR legend.
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