From Dale Sr to Richard Petty: Remembering the Greatest NASCAR Dads on Father’s Day

One of the essential values on which NASCAR racing has thrived over the years is family. To be a successful race car driver, natural talent is indeed a must. But again, motor racing is an expensive sport, and therefore, having the proper mentoring and financial aid in the early days of racing is an advantage. However, on the flip side, there’s additional pressure and expectation from such drivers who hail from renowned NASCAR families.

Some thrive under this pressure, adding new feathers to their family’s already illustrious track record, while others fold. However, on the eve of Father’s Day, we will take a look at some of the most popular father-and-son duos in NASCAR racing.

The greatest ever NASCAR dads who fueled their children’s racing ambitions

There can be no doubt that Lee Petty is a pioneer and one of the earliest NASCAR superstars the sport has ever had. Since he was one of the first drivers to score three championship wins, his influence has spread far and wide. His son, Richard Petty, has to be his best student yet.

The King went on to carry his father’s legacy to even greater heights as the winningest driver in the history of sports. The NASCAR Hall of Famer has 200 Cup wins and seven championships to his name. Ever since retirement, Richard Petty has actively been involved with Cup racing with team ownership, thus keeping the Petty family’s more than seven-decade-worth racing legacy alive and running.

Moving on, we have Dale Earnhardt, arguably the biggest NASCAR superstar in the sport’s history. The Intimidator, like Richard Petty, does have seven Cup Series titles to his name and has ushered in a new era of dominance in NASCAR. Which, for the most part, was untouched until his tragic demise during the 2001 Daytona 500 race. However, he had already groomed Dale Earnhardt Jr to take on the reins and follow in his footsteps.

Dale Jr would go on to win the Busch Series, now known as the Xfinity Series, twice. He also bagged two Daytona 500 wins during his Cup racing days. But, unlike his father, Dale Jr was not able to rake in multiple championship wins as he was forced into early retirement due to concussions. However, Junior, despite calling it quits on competitive racing, is still one of the most influential voices in NASCAR.

Adding to this list, we have Bill Elliott, who, apart from his heroics on the race track, made quite a name for himself away from competitive racing. Bill was awarded NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver award a record 16 times. He did reach the pinnacle of Cup Series racing, snagging the title in 1998 along with his dominance in the superspeedway races.

Carrying on the mantle, his son Chase Elliott continued to add to his blueprint of success in NASCAR racing. Like his father, Chase also holds the title of NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver and, at the same time, has scripted success stories on the race track. The 28-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver won the Cup Series title in 2020 and is regarded as the superstar driver of his generation.

When speaking about the greatest NASCAR dad, it is indeed hard not to mention Ned Jarrett. He shares the common trait of reaching the highest of highs in NASCAR racing with his two championships in 1961 and 1965. But he is also known for his class act, which paved the way for inclusivity in NASCAR racing. Ned famously sold his 1961 championship-winning No. 11 Chevrolet car to Wendell Scott, who at the time became the first African American NASCAR driver. This act also earned him the title of “Gentleman Ned.”

Keeping up with his father’s racing legacy, Dale Jarrett certainly cemented his place as one of the finest NASCAR drivers to compete in NASCAR. With his 1999 championship-winning exploit, the Jarrett’s became one of the only three father-son duos to win the championship. Lee and Richard Petty, along with Bill and Chase Elliott, are the other two pairs.

Rounding off this list, we have two-time Coca-Cola 600 winner Jeff Burton. The former RCR driver, in 659 starts, had twenty-one Cup wins along with six pole victories. He did come close to winning the championship back in 2000 with Roush Fenway Racing but had to be content with a 3rd place in the championship standings. However, despite his inability to win the converted prize in stock car racing, he was named among NASCAR’s 75 greatest drivers in 2023. Having called it quits from competitive racing, Jeff transitioned into the role of analyst and broadcaster at NBC Sports.

Unlike his father, Harrison Burton had yet to show signs of living up to his father’s legacy. Running in his third full-time season with Wood Brothers Racing, Harrison only had four top-10 results as standouts. However, at 23, it’s fair to say that he does have ample time to make a turnaround, and who knows, a better racing team could overturn his fortunes. Guiding him to follow in his father’s success story on the racetrack.

All eyes will be upon the active drivers mentioned in this list as they take the field today at Iowa Speedway. Perhaps a victory by either Chase Elliott or Harrison Burton could prove to be a befitting Father’s Day present to their dads.