“I Forgot What You Looked Like”—Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Sister Left Teary-Eyed After Remembering the Intimidator’s Precious Memory

Dale Earnhardt wasn’t called ‘The Intimidator’ for no reason! He was known for his aggressive trademark and wrecking rivals to snatch late-race glory. This would be attested by many, including Darrell Waltrip (at the 1986 Richmond race) and Terry Labonte (at the 1999 Bristol race). But his off-track attitude sharply contrasted with his fierce on-track persona.

Dale Earnhardt, unlike himself, did shower his kindness on drivers like Tony Stewart, a trait that most likely was inherited from family. His fatherly nature drew his children all the closer, as his daughter recently observed.

Dale Earnhardt pulled Kelley home

Barely two years after Dale Earnhardt Jr entered NASCAR’s top tier, tragedy befell the family. The Intimidator was set to leave a mark at the 2001 Daytona 500 when a horrifying crash took his life. He left a glittering legacy that resonates to this day among drivers and gearheads. Earlier this year, his daughter, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, commemorated his 23rd death anniversary.

Kelley is back with another tearjerker story for Earnhardt fanatics. Talking to Xfinity veteran Kenny Wallace, Kelley recalled her studious days at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. She said, “I was a good student; my dad had high expectations…I had to make straight A’s…My dad wanted me to go to college…So I did, I went to UNCC Wilmington.” 

But Kelley’s absence was heart-wrenching for Dale Earnhardt. He sent an emotional message to his daughter, asking him to bring her back home. Miller fought back her tears while telling the story, “I get a set of flowers from my dad. It said…I don’t wanna cry. It said, ‘It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. I forgot what you look like’…Because I never came home. I got to college and I was like I’m outta here. I’m at Wilmington, I’m at the beach, I got a full-time job at the mall…So I got that flower, and I was like, it’s been forever since I’ve been home.”

Thus, Dale Earnhardt’s moving message convinced Kelley to move back home. “I moved home and I finished my college career at UNC. I moved home in my junior year, and it took me four and a half years because I did that.” But harboring a passion for burning rubber and independence, she had conditions. “I said to my dad…I will only move home if I can do two things: race cars and have my own apartment.”

Graduating in 1995 with a B.A. in Business Administration, Kelley Earnhardt Miller immediately landed at Action Performance, a NASCAR merchandise brand. Now she is a top executive of JR Motorsports. Although she ended up in management, Dale Earnhardt had a specific way of inducting his kids into racing, a method he learned from his father.

Self-efficacy is the most important

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Ralph Earnhardt, Dale Jr’s grandfather, was one of the best short-track racers in the South. As Dale Sr grew up, he helped his dad work under the hood in their garage. But Ralph never encouraged him to race, and Dale Earnhardt wiped windshields for a living at first. But when Dale talked his way into a part-time ride, Ralph helped. On his passing, Dale Earnhardt realized that he had to work his way up.

He had told The Washington Post in 2000, “Basically it was Hard Knocks 101: You learn as you go. I’d watched my dad build engines and race cars. But when he passed away, it was like, I have got to do this.”

Thus Dale Earnhardt used the same philosophy with his children, never encouraging them at first. But once they proved their determination, he gave them some basic equipment and room to work in a shop and left them alone. That may partly explain why Dale Jr has carved a superb reputation for himself as a driver and race analyst over the years.

This great race car driver successfully passed on amazing values to his children, who treasure them to this day.