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BROOKLYN, MI – AUGUST 13: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Axalta Chevrolet, stands on the grid with his wife, Amy Reimann, prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 13, 2017 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

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BROOKLYN, MI – AUGUST 13: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Axalta Chevrolet, stands on the grid with his wife, Amy Reimann, prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 13, 2017 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
Dale Earnhardt Jr’s retirement announcement in 2017, surely broke a lot of hearts. However, what broke Dale’s heart was the speculations behind his retirement. The constant rumors surrounding the Earnhardt family, especially Amy Earnhardt, were disheartening for the driver and his family.
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In an episode of ‘In Depth’ with Graham Bensinger in 2018, Amy Earnhardt addressed the allegations about her. After Earnhardt Jr’s retirement, fans and media blamed Amy for ending the Daytona 500 champion’s career. However, she made it clear that this was not the case.
Amy and Dale married on 2016 New Year’s eve. And in 2017, the JR Motorsports owner announced his retirement. Assuming that his wife played an influential role in Earnhardt’s retirement decision, people began circulating theories that she wanted Earnhardt to give up his career.

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NORTH WILKESBORO, NC – AUGUST 31: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (3) spends time with his daughter just before the Cars Tour LMSC 125 on Aug 31, 2022, at the North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, NC. (Photo by David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
While talking about this, Amy said, “A lot of that was not surprising. I think it was just an easy target. I am an easy target for something like that. Without a lot of information too, they’re just gonna assume.”
Furthermore, she added that the timing of all these incidents was quite ironic. She revealed; “And it was ironic timing considering he was going to come to the end of his career anyway and we were getting married, (and) I just got pregnant. It was just kind of all cumulative and easy.”
Moreover, she added that the couple’s decision to be off social media helped a lot. She said, “So, it didn’t bother me too bad, and plus I stayed off of social media when we were really going through the really bad parts of it. Just because he and I both didn’t want to see what everybody was saying.”
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Dale Earnhardt Jr on his retirement
In 2018, Dale Earnhardt Jr released an authorized book that followed his life’s journey. In ‘Racing to the Finish: My Story,’ Earnhardt revealed the details of the final year of his racing career. Moreover, the book encompassed both on-track and off-track incidents from the driver’s life.

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RICHMOND, VA – SEPTEMBER 11: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8) Unilever United For America Chevrolet spending time with his daughter Isla Rose and wife, Amy Reimann Earnhardt, on pit road prior to the Go Bowling 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on September 11, 2021, at the Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, VA. (Photo by Lee Coleman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
While talking about how his retirement decision was surrounded by rumors, he said, “As my time out of the racecar was extended, and as rumors about my retirement started getting louder, a lot of people spoke up. They had a very hard time dealing with it all. They looked for something or someone to blame.” “
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WATCH THIS STORY: “Each Time, It Gets Tougher” – Dale Earnhardt Jr Hints at Stopping His Fan-Favorite NASCAR Tradition (essentiallysports.com)
Earnhardt cleared most of the doubts through his book.
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