“I Was Such a Bad Kid”- Dale Earnhardt Jr Reminisces Stealing From His Late Father That Almost Got Him Incriminated

Dale Earnhardt Jr often tips his hat to his legendary father on his podcast. He’s an open book when it comes to sharing tales about Senior, delving into everything from his dad’s rookie days to the life lessons he imparted. But, no matter how many stories he shares, you can’t really put a number on how much more time with his old man would’ve been enough.

However, Dale Jr is on a mission to keep his father’s legacy alive and kicking. On a recent episode of his podcast, he spilled the beans on a little treasure hunt. He stumbled upon the time when he grabbed some of his father’s business cards and decided to sell them to get his hands on something he’d been eyeing for a while.

Dale Earnhardt Jr sold his father’s invaluable business cards 

Dale Earnhardt Jr once found a stash of his dad’s first business cards from the ’70s, each adorned with a number 8 and a snapshot of Senior’s late-model sportsman car from his Martinsville days. Junior held onto a few for keepsakes and passed some along to folks like Mike Schrader, Rick Hendrick, and a couple of buddies.

Reflecting on the antics that followed, Dale Jr chuckled,  “I wanted a Game Boy, all right? Stole a little bit of money out of Dad’s change jar. I got like 80 bucks worth and got in trouble there and then I took these(business cards) and I don’t remember what I got. I sold one or two of them and kept the rest. I got in trouble pretty early after selling one or two, right? So I stopped doing that. Man, I sold those and we bought toilet paper, to toilet paper people’s houses, we bought eggs. Did some things that were near federal offense. I was 16 when I did this and I learned my lesson. But much more well-behaved these days.”

Sure, Dale Jr might have raised a bit of hell as a kid, but he’s held onto something priceless – memories of his father. Besides, Dale Jr often brings up Senior because, firstly, he was deeply attached to his old man, and it took him ages to come to terms with his loss. Secondly, he’s got this fear niggling at him – the worry that someday, people might forget the legend that was Dale Earnhardt. That’s why Junior keeps the stories alive, making sure his dad’s legacy races on in the hearts and minds of everyone who hears them.

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Junior is on a mission to etch his father’s legendary status into the annals of time

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It goes without saying, that Dale Earnhardt Sr‘s passing sent shockwaves through the racing world, the kind of loss that leaves a permanent mark. But even with his dad’s colossal legacy, Dale Jr couldn’t shake off the fear that fans might let ‘The Intimidator’s’ impact fade into the background, especially after his heart-wrenching passing at the 2001 Daytona 500.

He opened up about it, saying, “I was just always scared. Man, I hope they will never forget the essence of him and his personality and his impact, what it felt like when he walked in a room and what it felt like when he was out on the track and he just had this air; he changed the mood.”

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Imagine if Dale Sr was still with us, what a sight it would be to see Junior and Senior tearing up the track side by side, reigniting the thrill of that unforgettable Michigan race back in ’99. Now, that would have been something straight out of a racing fan’s dream.