The Earnhardt name has been popular in NASCAR for decades, and the family’s many personal stories have won the hearts of their fans over the years.
One such story is of the bond that Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares with his elder sister, Kelley Earnhardt Jr. While Dale Jr. impressed with his many outstanding performances on the track, her sister played a huge role behind the curtains to ensure things ran smoothly for her lil’ brother.
The two have opened up on several occasions about their bond. Over the years, the siblings have gone to achieve newer heights in their careers and have taken the Earnhardt legacy forward with grace.
Kelley Earnhardt’s Involvement in Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Career
When Dale Jr. started making his mark on the NASCAR track, his father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., was already an icon. So his father took care of a lot on the business side and Dale Jr. was never actively involved in it outside of being aware of what was transpiring at any given time. However, things changed quickly after the untimely demise of Dale Sr. at the 2001 Daytona 500.
Knowing her brother, Kelley knew exactly what to do. She wasted no time and quickly got into handling the business for her brother. Dale Jr. handed over all the important duties to his sister and officially made her his business manager, even when it came to his contract deal with DEI. Instead of the lifetime deal that he was supposed to sign with DEI, which was led by his stepmother, his sister, after a long negotiation, cut the contract short to five years with much better terms.
In an interview with AP, Dale Jr. said: “I instill a lot of trust and dependability on her to help me out, because she’s pretty smart about this stuff. And let’s face it, I’m probably not too experienced in it. I would probably let people walk off with the bank.”
Over the years, Kelley has handled the operations for Dale Jr. and his team, JR Motorsports, of which she is currently the president.
Kelley Always Had Her Little Brother’s Back
Kelley was the protector for her younger brother since the two were kids. Dale Jr., being a small and shy kid, often became the target of other kids at the school. Even when that happened, his sister always stood by him even if it was something as basic as helping him with lunch money or covering up for him when he had gotten into trouble.
In a 2003 AP interview, she said:
“Dale Jr. was always littler than everybody — shy, got picked on a lot at school — and I was always the caretaker for anything he needed. He borrowed lunch money from me. I did his chores when he wasn’t in the mood to do them and would have gotten in trouble. I was always the mother hen.”