Dale Earnhardt Jr Credits Wife Amy as the Catalyst for Major Change in Him: “I Was Really Scared of That”

Junior Nation, or rather any NASCAR fan, how would they feel if they learned that Dale Earnhardt Jr, arguably the most popular name in NASCAR, was afraid of the spotlight, of people judging him? This sounds weird now because in many ways it is.

But that’s the arc Dale Jr. has had in his career. He went from admittedly being shy to now being the most outspoken of them all.

And this is largely because of the influence of his wife, Amy Earnhardt, something he explained in a recent interview. The NASCAR Hall of Famer said, “I was afraid of any kind of rejection or any kind of negativity. When you go put yourself out there, you risk someone not liking that opinion or someone not agreeing with you or making fun of you.”

“And I was really scared of that.”

But this was him before he met his future wife, who then went on to have a profound impact on his personality.

“Her whole thing was fighting against the introvert that I was and trying to get me to get out and experience things more,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “The more I got out and experienced things, the more I had shared experiences with people.”

“I had more to say. I had more to tell.” 

Dale Earnhardt Jr is “okay” with people remembering him for things outside a race car

When Dale Earnhardt Jr. was announced to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, many questioned whether his ‘racing career’ was good enough for him to be part of that group.

But his contribution to the sport is greater than statistics and championships. And if this is what people remember his legacy by, he is “OK,” with that.

“It is totally fine with me that someone may remember me for other things aside from my accolades on the racetrack or what I did behind the wheel of a race car,” he said.

To be fair, Dale Jr. didn’t necessarily set the record books on fire, but that’s not all there is to a sport, any sport for that matter. Because there are things that can never be quantified or exactly specified, like how he was impacted by his wife Amy Earnhardt and how he himself impacted NASCAR.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been on both ends of that spectrum.

Also Read: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Gets Brutally Honest on NASCAR Drivers’ Rolex 24 Participation: “We’re Kind of the Last Guy They Want in the Car”