Most families dream of the quirky, close-knit units on Family Feud, laughing and having those long nights of watching Steve Harvey’s antics. For Dale Earnhardt Jr. and wife Amy, this dream was more than a game show: It was supposed to provide an opportunity to celebrate love and legacy with family. Yet life sometimes takes its own course. Tragedy swept in and replaced all plans just as they were taking shape.

The couple reminisced in a recent interview by revealing how one of the hardest times in their life caused them to miss the show: the death of Dale’s mom, Brenda Jackson. “We honestly really tried to do that right before Mimi passed away,” Amy quietly shared, referring to the nickname they lovingly gave her. “Yeah,” Dale agreed. Timing, fate, and heartbreak collided. And a simple family dream slipped away.

For every NASCAR fan worth their salt, Brenda Jackson was not just “Dale’s mom.” She graced many episodes of Dale Jr. Download, brightening up every place she found herself in with her special combination of wit and charm. Behind the scenes, she was Dale’s compass—helping him with everything from racing to fame and then into fatherhood. 

Unfortunately, in April 2019, Brenda succumbed to cancer at age 65 after a private and hard-fought struggle. By then, Dale and Amy were actively putting together a Family Feud appearance and were finally excited to do something fun with their whole family. “We got so close to doing that,” Dale reminisced sadly. 

Instead of being under studio spotlights, buzzing in answers, and throwing insults at Steve Harvey, the Earnhardts were left with months of hospital visits, heartfelt goodbyes, and the agonizingly slow process of mourning their loss. “It didn’t work out because of timing and everything,” Amy explained.

It wasn’t something like missing a TV appearance; it was the emotional weight of wanting to make a memory that got robbed by tragedy. Brenda’s battle transformed the purpose of a moment once full of mirth. Dale, who has gone through many hard times in life, especially losing his father, Dale Earnhardt Sr. on February 18, 2001 in a final-lap crash during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, found that this one cut deeper than most.

Letting go of one dream, the Earnhardt’s are embracing another

Years go by, but the pain of that missed opportunity is still fresh, not from regret, simply from what it could have meant for a still-healing family with that kind of history. Today, Dale and Amy take pleasure in a somewhat uneventful life-watching reality shows such as Southern Charm and Summer House, imagining they are part of a July 4th pool party.

“It would be fun to just go to a party,” Amy chuckled, giving an indication that the spotlight isn’t where they thrive. “Just kind of be in the background.” “Watching all that happen in real-time,” Dale added. These small desires-to just be, to watch, to exist in peace-reveal how much the Earnhardts have changed their way of thinking since Brenda’s passing.

And maybe that’s the real story: not the show they missed but the lives they have embraced instead. Lives purposely lived, not for a moment on television but for a lifetime of memories made off-screen, he is continuing to build on his post-racing legacy and raising a daughter who will someday learn about Mimi, about loss, and about dreams that didn’t come true. But at the same time, he is quietly teaching her what truly matters.

Because eventually, Family Feud would have been a fun-filled experience. But it was way more important to say take care of the lady who literally shaped him into the man he is today.