Former NASCAR driver and Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr may be one of the most popular NASCAR figures around, but that does not mean he is not human. Junior once revealed that he used to smoke early on and wasn’t able to get rid of the bad habit, even after his dad, the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr, asked him to nip it in the bud. He also mentioned how his wife played a major role in his mission to quit the unhealthy practice.

During an interview, Dale Jr stated, “When I was a kid, everyone seemed to be smoking except for dad for whatever reason. He just never did. He knew I did, and I never ever would have let him see me holding a cigarette. He hated it. We never had a conversation about it. He might have said a few times, ‘You need to effing quit that.’ Or something like that real short. I know that was something that extremely disappointed him.”

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Even after being reprimanded by his father, Junior was unable to quit his nicotine cravings; at one point he turned into a chain smoker, just like his mother and multiple family members before him. He was only able to give up the habit after 15 years of abusing his health. However, he could not have done it alone, he credits his wife to have been a massive help in his decision to quit smoking.

How did Dale Earnhardt Jr’s wife help him to quit smoking cigarettes?

Earnhardt mentions that at one point during his relationship with his wife, Amy, he was given an ultimatum, and that is how he called quits on his nasty habit.

Amy apparently told Junior that his smoking habit could become a “dealbreaker” for her, and the only way to stop their relationship from not souring would be for Jr quit his disgusting habit.

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Listening to Amy’s ultimatum, Earnhardt Jr finally gained the courage and determination required for him to finally come clean. Fast forward to today, the Hall of Famer has not touched a single stick of smoke in the past decade.