[00:00] Speaker 1: (instrumental music plays) Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Hollywood to Horsepower, the show about the story behind the story. Today, we are joined by a very special guest, and, you know, this is a family that's always been near and dear to my heart, is Kerry Earnhardt, son of Dale Earnhardt Sr. Um, I had the privilege of crossing paths with his dad a few times, have great respect for him. Anybody that knows me knows that I've always looked up to Dale. In fact, when I raced, my car number was 003, like probably a half a million other racers that followed the number three. So Kerry, welcome to the show.

[01:05] Speaker 2: Good morning. How are y'all doing?

[01:07] Speaker 1: Great, and I really appreciate you joining us. It's really an honor.

[01:12] Speaker 2: Yeah, I appreciate you having me. I appreciate you having us over, sir.

[01:14] Speaker 1: So you've got a really interesting story, and you and I kinda share s- a little bit of a similar background. We're both adopted. Um, you obviously, you know, found your dad and everything worked out great, you know, but... And I think very similar, you know, I had a great upbringing with no complaints or regrets, you know, my... very close with my adoptive parents and, you know, you, you were the same way. But I wanted to kind of go back if we just dive right in here, and, you know, looking over, if you look at the highlights of your life, you had kinda like the all-American childhood, if you will. You know, bicycles, fishing, playing in the woods, your buddies, growing up playing baseball and football. Take us back and tell us what it was like growing up and, you know, how things went for you.

[02:06] Speaker 2: Well, you know, I was, I was born in 1969 in, um-

[02:15] Speaker 1: Small town.

[02:15] Speaker 2: You know, I, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I didn't really know my dad growing up until I was about 16. Um, you know, I was a... He... Him and my wife, I mean, him and my mom divorced and my, um, stepdad adopted me when I was three years old and, um, so I really never had a life growing up with him. Um, but I had a great family with my dad, Jack, and my mom, Latane. And, you know-

[02:45] Speaker 1: And your sister?

[02:46] Speaker 2: My si... Uh, well, I have a sister with them, uh-

[02:49] Speaker 1: Yeah, that's who I meant.

[02:50] Speaker 2: ... her name. Uh, JJ is what I called her. And, you know, we, we had a great life, and, you know, we grew up fishing, playing golf, um, riding dirt bikes and bicycles up and down the road and had, you know, a great childhood. Uh-

[03:05] Speaker 1: Is that where you really got the bite for the outdoors? Did you just... Was it just kinda in the area, like, everybody was into that and... You know-

[03:13] Speaker 2: Well, you know, I... You know, with, with my stepdad, we only fished. Uh, he didn't hunt, so I was never around hunting but I always had the passion for hunting and I, I guess, I guess it was just in my genes and-

[03:26] Speaker 1: Sure.

[03:27] Speaker 2: ... dad, you know, his love of outdoors, Dale, um, he, he enjoyed the outdoors, hunting, fishing, everything, and just being on the farm, working on the farm. So, um, I think I, I got that through him, but really never had the experience-

[03:45] Speaker 1: Until you were a little bit older.

[03:46] Speaker 2: ... until I was older.

[03:48] Speaker 1: So you, you grew up, you know, normal, just like any of us, normal childhood, you know, riding bikes, playing fishing, and then you get into your teen years and you discover, you know, that you... you know Dale Earnhardt's your dad. Well, that had to be pretty surreal.

[04:05] Speaker 2: Yeah, it did.

[04:05] Speaker 1: 'Cause you had to know who he was.

[04:07] Speaker 2: Oh, I, I did. And I, and I, and I knew, I, I learned... I don't remember how old I was, but I was young and I, I, I learned that I had, you know, another dad, and, you know, through... I found out who it was and, you know, I, I always wanted to see him but it just wasn't ever allowed and, and one day I got to be able to call him and talk to him on the phone when I was 13 years old and I can remember, you know, the little conversation we had. It wasn't a long phone call, it was a short conversation and, you know, I told him whenever I turned 16 I was going be- be able to come see him and if that was okay and, you know, he said that he would, you know... like for it to happen before but he just, you know, just circumstances never allowed it.

[04:59] Speaker 1: Sure.

[05:00] Speaker 2: So when I turned 16 and I got my license and dropped my mom back off at the house and went to my grandmother Martha's 'cause I knew Dad was always in the garage behind her house so I went over there and, and, you know, I, I skipped a little story there, I got to know my grandmother through playing baseball when I was a kid and she would come-

[05:21] Speaker 1: I was gonna touch on that. You actually met her before you met Dale.

[05:25] Speaker 2: Yeah, I, I... she, you know... I always seen this woman and two girls at my ball games and they was always watching me or, you know, followed me around and stuff and one day I was doing something and she come up and spoke and said, "Kerry Dale?" I said, "Yes, ma'am." And she goes, "I'm your grandmother, Martha, and this is your cousins Jennifer and Ashlyn." And it cau- you know, it caught me off guard, um, but I kinda knew then that, um, that's, that's where I learned about my dad.

[05:57] Speaker 1: 'Cause your dad knows a big family. And for those people just joining us, I'm, I'm joined by Kerry Earnhardt, son of-... Dale Earnhardt Sr. And he's talking about his, his meemaw, his grandmother, Martha. Uh, Martha, for people that don't know, was Ralph Earnhardt's wife and Dale Earnhardt Sr's mother. Um, that had to be almost surreal, and, and it sounds like she was just an incredible woman. You know, she took time to come and get to know you, and she-

[06:25] Speaker 2: Oh-

[06:25] Speaker 1: ... wanted to see you, and a typical grandmother.

[06:29] Speaker 2: Yeah. She was a great grandmother. And, um, you know, and thankfully all, everything worked out the way it did 'cause I got to, you know, be with my family that I had that I didn't know about when I was growing up. And-

[06:42] Speaker 1: Sure.

[06:43] Speaker 2: ... you know, it was, it was great, you know, catching up and, you know, being with my family. And still today, we, we still have gatherings and stuff. Um, my Mawmaw-

[06:52] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[06:53] Speaker 2: ... always made sure that happened. And then, you know, now she's passed, my brother, Dale Jr. and Kelly, they continue it on. We, we always gather, you know, some of the, some location that he has. Like, um, we always have a s- a lot of gatherings at the house on Lake Norman that he owns. And, you know, we just had one not long ago, just a summer gathering for all the family to get together. And it's, it's not just our family-

[07:15] Speaker 1: And there's still a lot of Earnhardts.

[07:17] Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah. There's the Gees, the, uh, you know, Robert Gee, and, you know, Brenda Gee was Dale Jr. and Kelly's mom. And, you know, so we have the Earnhardts, the Gees, and there's another family that I'm forgetting. But we all gather every summer and get to hang out and, you know, catch up in conversations. And, you know, we see some of the families, but we don't get to see them all until it's times like that.

[07:41] Speaker 1: Yeah. And I know that Dale and Dale Jr. and Kelly have been really instrumental in that, like keep continuing those traditions, which is really cool.

[07:49] Speaker 2: Yeah, it is.

[07:49] Speaker 1: And it is kind of amazing, I mean, I th- I think a lot of people don't realize that, you know, your dad, Dill- Dale Earnhardt Sr., had siblings as well. He had brothers and, you know, they all had families. So there's, there probably are a lot of Earnhardts still around the area.

[08:05] Speaker 2: Yes. There is, um, you know, Uncle Danny and Uncle Randy, and then Aunt Kay and Aunt Cathy. You know, they, they're, you know, Cathy and Kay are still around with us. And then, you know, unfortunately, we, we have lost Uncle Randy and Uncle Danny. Um, they've already passed away, and just still get to enjoy and, and-

[08:29] Speaker 1: And be closer, but-

[08:30] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[08:30] Speaker 1: ... and that's kind of nice too, that your kids get to, to experience that and get to know their family.

[08:36] Speaker 2: Yeah, it is. And, you know, and our grandkids, and, you know, we got, I got three grand... Or well, actually five now. Um, five grandchildren.

[08:45] Speaker 1: Wow, that's amazing.

[08:45] Speaker 2: So, you know, my oldest boy's got four, and my youngest daughter's got one. Uh, she's just turned a year old. So we've, we've been enjoying life lately.

[08:55] Speaker 1: And you and your wife have four kids?

[08:58] Speaker 2: Correct, yes. I've-

[08:59] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[08:59] Speaker 2: ... you know, I've had two boys, she had a girl, and we had a daughter together. So, um, it, it's been, to say short, we've been blessed.

[09:10] Speaker 1: Yes. Sounds like. And it was... And for people that don't know, Dale Sr. had you, Dale Jr., Kelly, and Taylor.

[09:20] Speaker 2: That is true.

[09:20] Speaker 1: So there's four of you as well.

[09:22] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[09:22] Speaker 1: Are you guys all pretty close? I know that you and Dale and Kelly are pretty close. Are you guys pretty close with Taylor as well?

[09:28] Speaker 2: Not, not as close as I'd like to be.

[09:30] Speaker 1: Sure. She's probably busy. Yeah.

[09:30] Speaker 2: Um, you know, we would like to, we'd like to be around her, but, um, she's, she's not around much. And the only time actually I see, so, uh, my daughter, youngest daughter, Kayla Earnhardt, she's, um, into rodeoing, and, you know, does barrel racing, goat tying, and, um, pole bending. And she actually got a scholarship. She was at Oklahoma, a full ride scholarship, um, on the rodeo team. And then she had a baby, so she's come back home, and she is actually transferred to University of West Alabama on their rodeo team now.

[10:03] Speaker 2: So we're really-

[10:04] Speaker 1: Oh, wow.

[10:04] Speaker 2: ... looking forward to that starting up. She's gotta miss the first three rodeos, uh, due to transferring.

[10:09] Speaker 1: To transfer.

[10:10] Speaker 2: Yeah. So-

[10:11] Speaker 1: What, what grade is she in now?

[10:13] Speaker 2: She's a senior this year in college.

[10:15] Speaker 1: Okay.

[10:16] Speaker 2: And so, so where I was going with that is, uh, that's where we get to see Taylor occasionally at rodeos that my daughter goes to. And, you know, Taylor might be at them, and, and we get to, you know, visit and catch up there, but that's the only time.

[10:28] Speaker 1: Okay.

[10:29] Speaker 2: So, you know, it's, it's unfortunate. We'd love to be around her and be, you know, part of her kids' lives too. You know, she's got little girls growing up, and, and, uh, it hurts me, I guess, more because me and Taylor got really close whenever Dad passed, and, um, I'd done a lot of stuff with her, and, you know, we was always doing things together. And, um, just circumstances happened, and, you know, we were just not able to talk as much as we used to, and kind of grew apart.

[11:03] Speaker 1: Yeah. And, and, you know, life, life's kind of like waves on the ocean. It comes and goes-

[11:07] Speaker 2: (laughs)

[11:07] Speaker 1: ... so you never know. Could-

[11:09] Speaker 2: You know-

[11:09] Speaker 1: You know, tends... Some things kind of circle around.

[11:12] Speaker 2: Yes. Yes. Correct. And, you know, and, and a lot of people don't realize that even though the, you know, celebrity status my dad had, and, you know, the, the life everybody saw that he had, didn't realize that we're, we're average people-

[11:32] Speaker 1: Family.

[11:32] Speaker 2: ... just like everybody else. We all have, you know, scenarios in our life that goes, and we always have, you know, incidents or anything, just, just like any normal person. Everybody's going through something in this world.

[11:42] Speaker 1: Absolutely. Well, and I, I, that's a very good point. You know, people, and I've said this a lot, and I don't, you know, didn't want to spend a lot of time on it. But I mean, for people that don't know, you know, we're talking to Kerry Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s son. Um, Dale Sr. was, you know, unique. He, he... Just what you described, you know, everybody saw the celebrity side, and everybody saw him as, you know, the Winston Cup champion and everything. But-I think a lot of people don't realize what he went through to get there.

[12:17] Speaker 2: No, no-

[12:17] Speaker 1: You know what I mean? He, he worked his tail off and I, I heard him say one time, you know, he said, "You know, truth be told," he says, "I, I probably shoulda quit this and went and got a job, but it was the only thing I ever wanted to do." He said, "There were many times I shouldn't have been racing."

[12:33] Speaker 2: Yeah. And, and-

[12:34] Speaker 1: You know? And he had a different drive, you know, and I think that's what really ... I, I, I've said this to you before, he was one of those guys that seemed to be able to see things ahead, like, more than most people. Like, he would look at something and say, "I've gotta do this, to do this, to get to here."

[12:54] Speaker 2: Right.

[12:54] Speaker 1: And then he'd go do it.

[12:55] Speaker 2: Yes, exactly. And, and you know, he, he sacrificed a lot in life, you know? He-

[12:59] Speaker 1: He, he really did it. And I don't think most people know that.

[13:02] Speaker 2: No, he had three marriages and then, like I said, I, I didn't have a relationship with him growing up until I was 16. And, you know, that was some of the sacrifices that he took and, and to get to where he was at. And, you know, I, I, I could be resentful and hate things that he done and maybe hate him for what he's done. But I, you know, I never look back on that. I look for the future of, of what could be in the future, if there's an opportunity to be around the family and be part of it.

[13:31] Speaker 2: And, you know-

[13:31] Speaker 1: And I think you also have to look at him and he seemed like one of those guys that I, I doubt there was a day that went by he wasn't thinking about his family, and that's why he was out there doing what he was doing.

[13:43] Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah.

[13:43] Speaker 1: You know, I, I heard a story one time that, um, a friend of his told that he was driving after some race and he actually kind of started welling up, you know, got a little teary-eyed. And his friend's like, "What, what's the matter with you?" And he said, "You know what?" He goes, "This is gonna be the first Christmas that I can buy my mom a real gift."

[14:05] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[14:06] Speaker 1: You know what I mean? I mean, those are the sides of him that people didn't see.

[14:10] Speaker 2: Exactly.

[14:10] Speaker 1: You know, he was, he was a guy that had a lot of emotion, a lot of heart. He definitely ... Family was a huge deal. You touched on it. You know, he was a ... Dale's favorite place was in the outdoors or at the farm.

[14:22] Speaker 2: Correct.

[14:23] Speaker 1: There's no question about it. I mean, he loved to race, don't get me wrong. Anybody that knows him knows that. But he loved being at the farm. That was truly his happy place. And you talk to people that were around, and you were around when he was building DEI and clearing the trees and everything, and everybody says the same thing. He was just, you know, that was probably one of his happiest times.

[14:46] Speaker 2: It was. Being on the bulldozer or on the tractor, uh, or riding on the farm was, um, it was his, his time, his time.

[14:57] Speaker 1: Right. And you're a lot, you're a lot the same way. You've got that same love of the outdoors.

[15:02] Speaker 2: It is. It's, uh-

[15:02] Speaker 1: And, you know, you-

[15:03] Speaker 2: I've been, I've been gone a lot.

[15:05] Speaker 1: ... you develop a lot.

[15:05] Speaker 2: My wife's probably upset with me pretty much right now. I've been gone for four days. Um, I've been up in Virginia. I've got a hunt lease here in Virginia, and then my mother-in-law's place in Virginia also. So, so I, I came up and worked around my mother-in-law's place, bush hogged a lot of stuff and, you know, done some repairs and stuff at the house. And then I drove from there and come up to my hunt lease, and I've been up here yesterday morning mowing all day, bush hogging. And I've got probably another two hours of bush hogging up here before I go back home.

[15:34] Speaker 2: So, um, it-

[15:36] Speaker 1: You get back in tonight.

[15:37] Speaker 2: But I enjoy it. I, I enjoy it.

[15:38] Speaker 1: Yeah. And your, your wife enjoys it. I know that you guys do the Earnhardt Outdoors together and, you know, several things.

[15:47] Speaker 2: Yes. Yeah, she loves being outdoors too, um. And, you know, she ... We have a lot of things back home with animals and stuff that has to be taken care of. She'd probably be up here helping me, you know, trim limbs and, you know, work food plots and everything with me. But she's, you know, we got other things to take care of at home, and somebody's gotta be there for that.

[16:07] Speaker 1: Mm-hmm. So do you have quite a bit of ... Do you have a, um, farm yourself, livestock and things like that?

[16:12] Speaker 2: Uh, no, not really. I mean, we got, we got some horses and goats. Um, and we actually got a pig that we picked up on the side of the road, on our road, before it got run over. Um, which is unfortunate. I mean, it's hard to-

[16:25] Speaker 1: Oh, a little, a little guy? (laughs)

[16:27] Speaker 2: Yeah, he was small then, you know. But now he's like 180 pounds. He's pretty big. Um, but he's enjoying life. He, he, he had an opportunity to get run over by a dump truck and my wife was taking my daughter to school and saw it. And she kind of, you know, stopped that from happening, got the dump truck stopped before it hit the pig.

[16:46] Speaker 1: Oh, wow.

[16:47] Speaker 2: And so we ended up chasing that thing around for about an hour and finally caught it and brought it home. So Hamlet's what we call him, and he's enjoyed life. And, but yeah, we, we have a little small acreage there at the house. And, and, you know, it's not no big farm like people would imagine. It's just 13 acres. And, um, we, like I said, we got about four horses now and three goats and a pig.

[17:14] Speaker 1: Okay. (laughs)

[17:15] Speaker 2: (laughs)

[17:15] Speaker 1: So going back, and I know we're jumping around a little bit. But going back, you know, you, you, you met Martha. You, you know, she introduces you to your dad. Is ... That, I think a lot of people are probably gonna realize that, that ... Correct me if I'm wrong. That was the same garage that Ralph Earnhardt raced out of.

[17:31] Speaker 2: It is. It sure is. And, you know, I ... And going back to that story, is I went to my grandmother's and, uh, parked in front of the house so they couldn't see my car from the garage. And I walked in and sat with my grandmother for a little over an hour or two. It is a while. And, you know, just building up the courage to walk out the back door to walk down to the garage and meet my dad, um, in person for the first time. There were several times that I tried to see him, like an appearance or something he was supposed to do.

[18:08] Speaker 1: Crossed paths with him? Yeah.

[18:10] Speaker 2: Yeah. You know, he just, there was one appearance at a car dealership there in my hometown.I went and sat there and waited for him to show up, and he was a no-show. And so that, that was the opportunity I got, I missed on. And you know, he, he never came for his appearance and got... I don't know why he wasn't there but, you know. It's... I always say life leads to... leads you to paths-

[18:37] Speaker 1: Takes you where you're supposed to be.

[18:40] Speaker 2: To humble you, I guess. Um, and so, you know, the time I went my grandmother's and sat there and I walked out the back door and I walked up to the garage and you could hear everybody laughing and cutting up inside and, you know, tools clanking and stuff. And I walked in and everybody got quiet and Dad just looks at me and says, "Hey, son. How you been?" And, you know, that, that kind of took the relief off, I guess, the butterflies away. Um, you know, so, so we got to talk a little bit and we went riding around in his truck and caught up just between me and him by ourselves and... And so one thing led to another and, you know, we had a great relationship after that.

[19:26] Speaker 1: Yeah. Was... So was... Do you think, or did he ever talk about, was he kind of watc- keeping track of you through the years?

[19:36] Speaker 2: He did.

[19:36] Speaker 1: Because he seemed to be well aware of you.

[19:39] Speaker 2: Yeah. He, he did. He, uh, you know, he told me there was several times he tried, you know, to be able to see me and, you know, that, you know-

[19:46] Speaker 1: Show up at a game or something.

[19:48] Speaker 2: But it just, you know, it just could never happen, you know.

[19:51] Speaker 1: Sure.

[19:52] Speaker 2: I mean, my mom and stepdad just didn't want it to happen. So, um...

[19:56] Speaker 1: Well, and probably tried to protect you.

[19:59] Speaker 2: And... No, I understand. I understand that. You know, um, you know, he must have... Dad Jack, he raised me and, um, like say, we had a great life and had a great relationship and, um, he just didn't want me to be hurt, I guess, in that situation, you know?

[20:18] Speaker 1: Yeah. He was protective.

[20:19] Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah. And then, and so after I got to meet Dad and we hung out and got, you know, to know each other and, you know, being around for Christmas with him and stuff like that, um, we talked about me and Dale Junior moving into a house together and living together. Um, we were both young. I was 21 and Dale Junior was like 16. And so we ended up moving into a trailer together. It was a, it was a double-wide trailer and, um, talked about racing all the time and Dale Junior's like, "Why don't we just get a race car and start racing and see where we go?" And so we ended up going down to a junkyard down the road. A friend of mine, who's actually a friend of my mom's, the wife was a friend of my mom, and, you know, I got... I knew them through my mom and because they was always hanging out and was always together.

[21:12] Speaker 2: So I got to know, um, Doug Wayne, which is Wayne's Automotive Junkyard, that me and Dale Junior went to and bought a Monte Carlo from, and brought it back to the shop and was, you know, gonna build a race car and Dad's seeing it and he said, "What's this?" And we told him what was gonna do and he's like, "Don't touch that car." He says, "I gotta go on back and forth and I'll be back." And so he left and I looked at Dale Junior, I said, "Man, he, he's not gonna let us build a race car out of this thing." He said, "Well, you know, we could bust the windows out and lights out and everything, and that would probably help us." So that's what we did, and Dad come back, of course, you know, we was in trouble for that. He was upset and mad because we did that, and we're like, you know, "We just, we just wanted a race car. We didn't want you to take it away from us," because it was a nice car, it just, you know, didn't have a motor and transmission.

[22:05] Speaker 2: He's like, "No," he said, "I want to be part of it." So, you know, we all jumped in there and built this race car, me and Dale Junior, went to Concord and started racing, and it was a great night.

[22:15] Speaker 1: That was where you started?

[22:16] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[22:16] Speaker 1: So you and Dale... I didn't know that. You and Dale Junior actually raced the same car, and that's where you guys started?

[22:24] Speaker 2: Yes, sir. Uh, you know, we... Actually, I drove the first three races. We was gonna alternate every other weekend and, um, I, I ended up driving the first three races and so he was able to drive and be able to, you know, get in the seat. Um...

[22:38] Speaker 1: Did you have to be a certain age at that time?

[22:40] Speaker 2: Uh... No.

[22:40] Speaker 1: To get in the seat?

[22:41] Speaker 2: I think... I just think it was a little nerves.

[22:44] Speaker 1: Just getting ready. Yeah.

[22:46] Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah. He-

[22:46] Speaker 1: Was this a track like that, like Ralph had started at or was it-

[22:51] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[22:51] Speaker 1: ... where Dale had started? Okay.

[22:52] Speaker 2: Dad, Ralph. It's Concord Motor Speedway in Concord and, um, it's, it's not there anymore. The Puhrs, Henry Puhr and Yvonne Puhr owned it and, um, it, it was a neat little track. Uh, it was a pretty good size, half-mile track, with a dog leg in the back stretch and it was a lot of fun. We had some good times there and learned a lot and made some people mad and made some people happy. (laughs)

[23:17] Speaker 1: And that was the, that was the essence Ray, and I think that's so cool that you got to grow up not only in an area where it was just like, it was part of the DNA, but also where all the history was. Like these are the tracks where Ralph raced and probably Richard Petty and some of the other big names that we knew.

[23:36] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[23:36] Speaker 1: And it's just like, back then they were, there was just guys coming out on the weekend to race.

[23:41] Speaker 2: Yes.

[23:42] Speaker 1: You know, like, like people say that was Ralph Earnhardt before he was Ralph Earnhardt.

[23:46] Speaker 2: Right. Yeah. Everybody's got a start, you know what I mean? And, and I mean, it's like LeBron James or, you know, any of these other, uh, basketball players, baseball players later, they all started from somewhere before people knew them.

[23:58] Speaker 1: Absolutely. Yeah. In fact, it's, it's funny that, you know, people don't need... To your point, you know, there's... It's, it's a family and, and interestingly enough too, to your dad, I always felt that it was a family first. I, I always got the impression, and I've heard him say this, that the, the whole reason he started DEI was for you guys. He wanted to build something for his family.... yeah.

[24:23] Speaker 2: And, and it was, and, and, you know, unfortunately it's not that way now.

[24:26] Speaker 1: Yeah. But, you know, he set the... The one thing he did do though, he set the DNA, you know. He taught you guys the business, he taught you guys the work ethic. You know, there's a lot he did that you can see it to... You can even see it today in like what Dale Junior and Kelly are doing, and what you're doing. And, you know-

[24:42] Speaker 2: Definitely.

[24:42] Speaker 1: ... I mean, it's, it's just... It's very, very apparent, you know?

[24:47] Speaker 2: It, it is and, you know, and honestly my wife learned a lot from him also, um, as far as business things and, you know, he taught her some things and as far as-

[25:00] Speaker 1: He, he was brilliant-

[25:02] Speaker 2: But I-

[25:02] Speaker 1: ... when it came to that.

[25:03] Speaker 2: He, he was and, you know, he, he's the one that, you know, created and built Dale Earnhardt Incorporated and he was the reason continued the way it did, um, as many could tell and see now that he's gone that Dale Earnhardt Incorporated is just-

[25:17] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[25:17] Speaker 2: There is no racings no more.

[25:19] Speaker 1: No. Well, and it's interesting to me, something that always impressed me and I, I think a lot of people don't realize, you know, he st-... He was a loyal guy too. He was very true to his... The people that were good to him, and he raced for Richard right till the end.

[25:35] Speaker 2: Yes, sir. And he could have had, he could have had other rides. Richard even told him at one point when they wasn't doing too well, he said, "Man, you need to go find another team to drive for. I'm holding you back 'cause, you know, we can't prepare great cars for you to show your, um, skills that you have and the ability you have." And you know, Dad's like, "No," he said, "we're in this together. If you're in it, I'm in it," and they stuck together and, you know, that's how they got the seven championships and all the races and stuff they won.

[26:04] Speaker 1: So was that something that you wanted to do, like even from a young age? Was it always something that interested you even before you knew-

[26:13] Speaker 2: I didn't... Yeah, I really wasn't in, like, thought about racing. Um, I was in-

[26:17] Speaker 1: Okay.

[26:18] Speaker 2: I, I... You know, I was into, you know, street rods. I had a '70 Chevelle, '72 Chevelle, a '65 Impala and, you know, I was always tinkering with them and, you know, had, had enjoyed older cars.

[26:32] Speaker 1: Mm-hmm. Do you still have the Chevelle?

[26:34] Speaker 2: I do not.

[26:35] Speaker 1: Oh. (laughs)

[26:36] Speaker 2: No.

[26:36] Speaker 1: Not too many, not too many people do. Not too many people have that car, but ******.

[26:42] Speaker 2: The car I w-... The car I wish I had was my '65 Impala, um, believe it or not.

[26:47] Speaker 1: Okay.

[26:47] Speaker 2: That thing is a big old boat, but it was something my mom's brother, Uncle Terry Brown, he bought off the showroom floor and he passed down through the family, and me and my cousin got it in Georgia and then a- after him I got it. And, you know, it needed a little bit of work when I got it, wiring harnesses and stuff. And I'm, you know, 16 years old I, I was wanting a vehicle and this guy come by with this '72 Chevelle and offered to trade even. And of course I had to call my uncle and talk to him before I did it, but he's like, "Do what you feel you gotta do." And I did and he didn't talk to me for like six months.

[27:22] Speaker 2: (laughs)

[27:22] Speaker 1: Oh, no.

[27:23] Speaker 2: Yeah, he-

[27:23] Speaker 1: But, but it was a running, driving car?

[27:26] Speaker 2: Yeah, something like jump in and go.

[27:28] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[27:28] Speaker 2: Yeah. I didn't understand, you know, what that car really meant and, you know, the... What the value of that car was at the time. Outside of money.

[27:38] Speaker 1: Have you ever tried to find it? Is it still floating around the area?

[27:42] Speaker 2: Yeah, I've found it. I don't know if it is now, but I did find it and had been tubbed out and put on the drag strip, so...

[27:48] Speaker 1: Oh, wow.

[27:49] Speaker 2: Yeah, it was ruined. (laughs)

[27:51] Speaker 1: It was ruined. (laughs)

[27:52] Speaker 2: Yeah. But, so-

[27:56] Speaker 1: So, so what did you think you wanted to do when you were a kid? For the people joining us, this is Terry Earnhardt, son of Dale Earnhardt Sr. Uh, we're talking about his career and life and family. Um, growing up as a kid before racing, before you even knew Dale Sr., what, what was it you thought you wanted to do?

[28:15] Speaker 2: Well, I want... I wanted to be a baseball player. I, I loved baseball and-

[28:17] Speaker 1: Okay.

[28:18] Speaker 2: ... become a pro- professional baseball player and, um...

[28:23] Speaker 1: What age did you start playing baseball? I know it was pretty young.

[28:26] Speaker 2: Yeah, I was... Uh, I mean, I started playing T-ball. It was the first... You know, I guess I was... I don't know how young I was, but you know, I was playing T-ball a little bitty. Small white haired kid.

[28:37] Speaker 1: What inspired that? Was, was Jack into baseball or was there some *******?

[28:41] Speaker 2: No, Jack... No, he was into golf much...

[28:43] Speaker 1: Okay.

[28:44] Speaker 2: He was big into golf and he loved golf. And I try... I tried to pick it up and I just couldn't get the joy of it. Um, we actually had a, a golf shop where... Or a driving range where we built clubs or my, my dad built clubs and, you know, we... People come by and buy a bucket of balls and hit golf balls. Um, and I enjoyed that.

[29:06] Speaker 1: Yeah. That right there is about the joy of it. Yeah, I was thinking about it writing a book, how to line up my forefoot and how to lose two boxes of balls in one round.

[29:14] Speaker 2: (laughs)

[29:14] Speaker 1: But it's... Yeah, it's, it's... There's... That's a frustrating sport if there ever was one.

[29:19] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[29:19] Speaker 1: It is a funny sport though 'cause it's one of those that you hit one good shot, you're back in the game.

[29:23] Speaker 2: Yeah. (laughs) Right back. Um, you know, I still play golf today, but it's nothing... Uh, it's like two or three times a year at sports... Like charity events or just with friends and I'm the one that... I'm not one that's gonna hit a bad shot and wrap the club around a tree or anything. I'm, I'm one that wants to have a good time and enjoy the game, you know?

[29:44] Speaker 1: I'm the same way. My kids... So I have two kids, uh, Grace and Keith. My, my son is 21, soon to be 22. He's a senior in college as well. And my daughter, Grace is 17. She's a senior in high school. And the three of us would golf and yeah, I'm the same way. You... My thing is if I can't see the ball from where I am, I'll just drop another one.

[30:05] Speaker 2: Yes, me too.

[30:07] Speaker 1: I... (laughs)

[30:07] Speaker 2: Or if I lose one, I gotta find two to make up for it. (laughs)

[30:10] Speaker 1: Exactly. Just start walking around and "Hey."

[30:12] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[30:13] Speaker 1: "We'll play this one. It's in a little better spot anyhow."

[30:15] Speaker 2: "I found one, but no, that ain't mine." (laughs)

[30:18] Speaker 1: So you decide you want to play baseball. You played... Well, how far did you go with it? Did you play all the way through high school?

[30:24] Speaker 2: Uh, about...Well, no, I was... Uh, 10th grade, I played baseball in high school and then after that I got out of it and-

[30:31] Speaker 1: Got interested in cars and girls?

[30:33] Speaker 2: Well, yeah. Got interested in girls. (laughs)

[30:36] Speaker 1: (laughs) Yeah.

[30:36] Speaker 2: Had to get a job to pay for my child.

[30:41] Speaker 1: Your girls, and then you got that child.

[30:44] Speaker 2: (laughs)

[30:44] Speaker 1: So how... So that kinda brings us up to adult life. You know, at this point you've already met Dale.

[30:49] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[30:49] Speaker 1: You're working. You got a-

[30:51] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[30:51] Speaker 1: ... pretty cool car, meeting a girl. So you end up, um, kind of becoming a father at a young age as well.

[30:57] Speaker 2: Yeah, I was 18 years old when I had my first child, Bobby. And, um, it was 1987.

[31:05] Speaker 1: Hmm.

[31:06] Speaker 2: He was born and so... I did, I had a job before that. I, I worked at, uh, the gas station pumping gas and changing oil. And, um, you know, had-

[31:16] Speaker 1: You had a reputation of being quite the pizza chef too. You had a job there-

[31:20] Speaker 2: Yeah. I did, I did.

[31:20] Speaker 1: ... if I'm not mistaken.

[31:21] Speaker 2: There I went to Pizza Hut and, uh, enjoyed working Pizza Hut. I, I loved that and that didn't last long.

[31:28] Speaker 1: From, from the sounds of it, your friends did too. A lot of free pizzas and-

[31:30] Speaker 2: Yeah, they did. They got a lot of free pizzas.

[31:32] Speaker 1: (laughs)

[31:33] Speaker 2: And, and, you know, everybody wanted me to make their pizzas because at Pizza Hut you had a measuring cup with all the, with each, each ingredient that you had used by measurements. And I, I had a big hand, so that's what I used. And I put a lot of ingredients on there and made it a really nice pizza. And-

[31:48] Speaker 1: I wish we were friends then because-

[31:50] Speaker 2: No, no, no.

[31:50] Speaker 1: ... I was Italian. I, I would've been hanging out there every weekend. (laughs)

[31:53] Speaker 2: Well, my master, he, he'd give me a hard time about it. He, he rode my butt about it, but he, uh, understood and I, I didn't get in trouble or fired from work, so-

[32:03] Speaker 1: You got requested when people would order-

[32:05] Speaker 2: But people would-

[32:05] Speaker 1: ... they wanted, they wanted (laughs) they wanted Kerry to make their pie.

[32:08] Speaker 2: They wanted me to make the pizzas. Yeah.

[32:09] Speaker 1: Yes.

[32:09] Speaker 2: I started out... Actually, I started out working for Pizza Hut, ma- uh, washing dishes. And, uh, you know, I, I just started there and ended up working the drive-through window from there and then ended up making pizzas and, and... I mean, the guy told me I had material to be a manager one day in Pizza Hut, and I was like, "Ah, that ain't my passion." (laughs) So I'm just here making money to, you know, enjoy my hobbies on the weekends.

[32:34] Speaker 1: So you meet, um, Bobby and Jeffrey's mom. Was that... Did you meet her right there in the local mall?

[32:40] Speaker 2: No, no. Uh, I was, I went to school with her, high school. Um-

[32:43] Speaker 1: Okay.

[32:44] Speaker 2: And then her, you know... We, we started talking and ended up dating. And her dad was a Church of God preacher and, you know, we... They... I mean, they always say the preacher's daughter's always the wildest one, so-

[32:56] Speaker 1: I've experienced that myself. Yeah.

[32:58] Speaker 2: We ended up having a child and two years later we had another one. Jeffrey was born in 1989. Um, and then our marriage ended there, uh, like the day after he was born. I got out and started another life. And-

[33:16] Speaker 1: And there's... It's kind of interesting, and you've touched on this before so I think it's okay to mention, just, you know, Dale actually gave you some advice about that even.

[33:25] Speaker 2: He did. Uh, you know, he really didn't... He, he told me when he found out we were talking about getting married, somehow this guy knows everything.

[33:34] Speaker 1: Really good.

[33:35] Speaker 2: We didn't tell anybody. He hadn't told nobody that I was aware of. She may have, but I didn't. And I didn't think she did, but he knew. He, he'd come by the gas station, "Get in the truck." I'm like, "Why, man? I'm working." He said, "Get in the truck." And I'm like, "Bub," I said, "I gotta go, uh, go with Dad and I don't know what's the deal," but I jumped in and we're riding around and he says, "So what are we gonna do?" And I said, "What are you talking about?" He said, "Are you..." I mean, "Are you gonna go through having this baby? Are you... What you gonna do?" I said, "Yeah, we're gonna get married." He said, "You don't need to marry her." I said, "What?" "No, she ain't the one. She, she ain't gonna be... She ain't gonna last." And of course, you know, he was right. Three years later we got the divorce.

[34:18] Speaker 2: (laughs)

[34:18] Speaker 1: Yeah. It is, it's kinda funny.

[34:20] Speaker 2: (laughs)

[34:20] Speaker 1: You wonder sometimes if he was kinda looking at you like, you know, he'd gone through some of the same things.

[34:26] Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah. I mean, like, "How do you, how do you know?" And he, he never would tell me. He just said, "I know everything." And-

[34:33] Speaker 1: There is something to that. He had... There was something about him. I mean, he, he had just... I mean, he had a presence about him, absolutely. And that doesn't... I don't mean like a celebrity. I mean as a man.

[34:44] Speaker 2: As a man.

[34:44] Speaker 1: You know, I, I, I have never been starstruck. I've never, I've never been one of those guys, probably because I've been, I've been fortunate in my career. I've always been around celebrities and I learned at an early age to, you know... My, my dad told me, "Everybody puts their pants on one leg at a time." So I either liked somebody or didn't based on them. I had the most-

[35:03] Speaker 2: Hmm.

[35:03] Speaker 1: ... respect for people that I had respect for. And the people that... It didn't matter to me what they had done, really.

[35:10] Speaker 2: (laughs) Yeah.

[35:10] Speaker 1: Um, your dad always was one of those guys that when he'd walk in the garage, it was like that was the only guy you saw. And, and I wasn't the only one. I mean-

[35:21] Speaker 2: Right.

[35:21] Speaker 1: ... he was just one of those people that just captivated people. And I've seen him... I mean, it's kind of funny. You mentioned earlier about him not showing up for an appearance and anybody who works in what I do, you know, in marketing and business development, he kinda had a reputation for that. (laughs)

[35:39] Speaker 2: (laughs) Maybe.

[35:39] Speaker 1: Kind of funny. You know? It wasn't a... The thing is, it wasn't that he was irresponsible. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate his sponsors. I always said it was a good hunting spot or a fishing hole that won out-

[35:53] Speaker 2: (laughs)

[35:53] Speaker 1: ... over you more times than not. (laughs) But what, what-

[35:57] Speaker 2: And it... That's 'cause-

[35:57] Speaker 1: ... was so funny was he could stand up a sponsor, show up at the garage and they'd be just kind of not real happy with him. Five minutes later he's got his arm around them and they're laughing and joking.

[36:10] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[36:10] Speaker 1: He had that ability to just... And he did, he just seemed to have an instinct to know everything.

[36:17] Speaker 2: He, he did. And, uh, he was that person. He, if he, like I said, stood up a sponsor or whatever, they'd be mad but like I said, five minutes later they're not. (laughs)

[36:25] Speaker 1: You couldn't help it.

[36:26] Speaker 2: Oh, yeah.

[36:26] Speaker 1: I've seen him wreck people on the track and them come down there ready to tear into them, and five minutes later they're laughing and joking around. He-

[36:34] Speaker 2: Oh, yeah.

[36:34] Speaker 1: You know, "I didn't mean to wreck you." Yeah. "I just, I was just shaking you up a little bit." Or- (laughs)

[36:38] Speaker 2: (laughs) Yeah. "Heard about it. You rushed your wallet."

[36:41] Speaker 1: Yeah, it happened all the time, but the funny thing was, he...It was never inten- I never, ever felt like it was malicious with him. You know, there's some guys that race kind of dirty and I know people would even say that about him. I never felt like that. I've said this more than once: if you were between him and the finish line, you had a problem.

[37:00] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[37:00] Speaker 1: You better either have a faster car or get out of his way.

[37:04] Speaker 2: Or outsmart him. (laughs)

[37:06] Speaker 1: (laughs)

[37:06] Speaker 2: Get outsmart him.

[37:06] Speaker 1: Outsmart him, yeah. Yeah. That wasn't very often.

[37:09] Speaker 2: No, no, no-

[37:09] Speaker 1: I mean, he, he was one of the last guy... You know, and I, I've always said, you know, part of the reason was, he knew every nut, bolt, and screw and rivet on that car.

[37:20] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[37:20] Speaker 1: And that's something you don't see in too many guys.

[37:23] Speaker 2: You don't. Not these days, you don't, no.

[37:25] Speaker 1: And, and I really believe that makes you a different kind of driver.

[37:28] Speaker 2: It does, and I mean, he, he was the one always working on his own cars and everything, too. And he'd... You know, he'd jump right in there with his pit crew guys and, you know, that's why, what they called the Junkyard Dog back in the day, that, that crew respected him and appreciated, and they would do anything for that man. And-

[37:49] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[37:49] Speaker 2: That, that, that spoke, that speaks volumes.

[37:52] Speaker 1: And I think part of it, too, was knowledge. You know, it's one... It's another thing... It's one thing to be willing to jump in, but it's also another thing to be about, probably more knowledgeable on the car than any chief on the row.

[38:06] Speaker 2: Right.

[38:06] Speaker 1: You know what I mean? He knew those cars inside out and backwards, and it was... I always felt like that was from growing up with his... Ralph.

[38:13] Speaker 2: Yeah, it was.

[38:14] Speaker 1: 'Cause they did everything.

[38:17] Speaker 2: And, you know, they did, and, and dad had, you know, Pa- Papaw, he wouldn't just give in to that. He, you know, Dad had to work on his own stuff and learn everything on his own. And, and yeah, that's kind of the way Dad, you know, raised me and Dale Jr. We, we had to work on our own stuff and... You know, I remember one time, I, I had my car ready to go race and, um, my wife, Nell, uh, went out on a date with her instead of going to the race shop to work on the car, and I ended up missing two races. I had to sit out and go watch them.

[38:50] Speaker 1: Oh, wow.

[38:50] Speaker 2: Dad found out that I didn't go to the shop 'cause it was a Friday night and he was out in some race somewhere, and he found out I didn't come to the shop Friday night just to wipe the car down or something. (laughs) So he made me miss two races and sit a- had to go watch the races, too, on top of it.

[39:10] Speaker 1: Did he put somebody else in your car?

[39:12] Speaker 2: No, no, it just happened-

[39:13] Speaker 1: No, the car just sat out.

[39:15] Speaker 2: No, uh, that would've been even worse if he had done let somebody else-

[39:18] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[39:18] Speaker 2: (laughs) So, but, you know, but-

[39:21] Speaker 1: You know, in a weird way, you know, I've always said with him, there was always a method to his madness. It may seem like it was unorthodox, but looking at it, you know, he was teaching you the priorities that-

[39:34] Speaker 2: It was.

[39:34] Speaker 1: ... like what you have today.

[39:36] Speaker 2: He was. And I told him, I said, "Man, I thought it was a date." And my car was ready and everything, so he... This is afterwards. He said, "Well, you know, you could have just had her come to the shop with you and hang out. That'd been a cool date for her." I'm like, "Well, I never thought about that. I thought, you know, I took her out to dinner and took her to a movie." And-

[39:54] Speaker 1: Yeah, he's-

[39:55] Speaker 2: "It'd have been a lot more fun to be here at the race shop working on these race cars, wiping them down and showing her everything." I was like, "Okay." (laughs)

[40:02] Speaker 1: Lesson learned.

[40:03] Speaker 2: Yep.

[40:04] Speaker 1: I bet you didn't miss one after that.

[40:06] Speaker 2: I did not.

[40:07] Speaker 1: (laughs)

[40:07] Speaker 2: (laughs) He was right in the shop a lot with me.

[40:11] Speaker 1: So Jeffrey comes along, you just touched on it. You know, you meet Renee, you guys start dating. How long did you guys go out before you got married?

[40:20] Speaker 2: Um, we, we dated for like, uh, four years.

[40:28] Speaker 1: Oh, yeah. Let's see. I won't ask you how long you've been married. I don't want to get you in trouble at home if you give the year wrong.

[40:35] Speaker 2: 25 years.

[40:36] Speaker 1: Good man.

[40:37] Speaker 2: (laughs)

[40:38] Speaker 1: (laughs)

[40:40] Speaker 2: Yeah, we got married in 1999.

[40:44] Speaker 1: And she had a daughter, correct?

[40:46] Speaker 2: Yeah, she had a daughter, Blade. She was three years old when we met, and, you know, she grew up... I, I was her dad, um, sure. But she, you know, she never got to see her dad or anything. He was never really come around or anything and just, you know, it was to the point where she even asked me to walk her down the aisle when she got married. So that, you know-

[41:13] Speaker 1: That's pretty-

[41:14] Speaker 2: He never... He, so-

[41:15] Speaker 1: He never did come around, huh?

[41:17] Speaker 2: No, he, you know, he... They got to talking a little bit later, later in life and, like, he, he did show up at her wedding. So he was there for that. Um, which I didn't know until after the wedding was over. Um, so I would have tried to, you know, let him be part of the wedding 'cause it, it is, it is her dad, you know?

[41:42] Speaker 1: Yeah, there's something true to that and it is-

[41:44] Speaker 2: You know, that's-

[41:45] Speaker 1: It's hard. It's hard.

[41:45] Speaker 2: Life's hard.

[41:46] Speaker 1: It's easy to criticize.

[41:47] Speaker 2: Yeah, like my life growing up, you know, I had, I had all them things I could've been mad about or upset about, but, you know, that's just tr- the trials and tribulations of life. You learn, you learn. That's how you learn.

[41:59] Speaker 1: Absolutely.

[42:00] Speaker 2: Experiences in life.

[42:02] Speaker 1: So I have to ask you, and you, I... You may have been asked this a million times, but it's something that is interesting to me. So, you know, being adopted myself, and like I say, I have very good parents. The only two people I've ever met in my life that even remotely resemble me are my kids. And that's something kind of unique, something I noticed probably from being adopted, and probably, I would guess, something you noticed. How surreal was it for you when you walk in and here's this man that looks a lot like you?

[42:33] Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean... (laughs)

[42:35] Speaker 1: I mean, you can't deny the Earnhardt look.

[42:38] Speaker 2: (laughs) Yeah. Yeah, I know. Um, it, it was-

[42:43] Speaker 1: Did it, did it affect you or didn't even think about it?

[42:46] Speaker 2: Uh, I didn't really. I didn't even think about it.

[42:48] Speaker 1: Okay.

[42:48] Speaker 2: ... um, in, in-

[42:49] Speaker 1: It's something I've always... It's something that's always been interesting to me, you see people that look like, like kids and... Like even Jeffrey with you. I mean, he, he looks so much like you.

[42:59] Speaker 2: Yeah, and, um, you know, a lot of people say that. And look, I think my oldest boy, Bobby, he resembles his mom's side of the family more than mine, than me.

[43:08] Speaker 1: Sure.

[43:09] Speaker 2: So, I mean, uh, I never really thought about that.

[43:12] Speaker 1: Okay.

[43:13] Speaker 2: I mean- (laughs)

[43:14] Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, didn't mean to put you on the spot. I was just curious-

[43:16] Speaker 2: No, it's 'cause it was a fun spot. Uh-

[43:18] Speaker 1: ... who it was. Even with Dale and Kelly, and you know what I mean? You... Here's-

[43:20] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[43:21] Speaker 1: ... here's people that look just like you.

[43:23] Speaker 2: No-

[43:23] Speaker 1: It was...

[43:24] Speaker 2: That... No, no. You know, later, later in life, I, you know, after I grew up and everything, I do look at that now and we can try to... You know, I'm pretty amazed at how much me and Kelly resemble each other.

[43:38] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[43:39] Speaker 2: And, and then Dale Junior, I think, like I said, he's, he's got his side of mom... His mama's side of the family's looks, the genes.

[43:46] Speaker 1: He does, but you have to admit, without the glasses and the beard, he looks Earnhardt.

[43:53] Speaker 2: He does.

[43:53] Speaker 1: There's something there, you know. Like, not like-

[43:56] Speaker 2: There is.

[43:56] Speaker 1: ... not probably as much as you and Kelly, but-

[43:58] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[43:58] Speaker 1: ... there.

[43:59] Speaker 2: He's, he's got both genes, Earnhardt and the Gene, genes.

[44:02] Speaker 1: He's a blend.

[44:02] Speaker 2: (laughs)

[44:03] Speaker 1: Yeah. (laughs)

[44:05] Speaker 2: He, he just has... He has... I see a lot of his mama's side in him.

[44:09] Speaker 1: So that's kind of an interesting piece too, and you've touched on this before, the, the Earnhardts were fairly close to your family, even growing up. Your mom was friends with what are your aunt and uncle.

[44:23] Speaker 2: Yes. Um, so my Aunt Sherry, which is Uncle Danny's wife, her and my mom were real good friends. Um, and that's, that's actually how I got to talk to Dad. Uh-

[44:34] Speaker 1: So was your dad pretty close with them?

[44:37] Speaker 2: Yes. Yeah. My uncle, Uncle Randy and Dad were real close and so I'll... You know, I... After all the fights and everything with my mom, and 'cause I, you know, I talked to her more about it than my stepdad, you know, Jack. But, um, you know, we got it worked out and she's like, "Oh, I'll let you talk to him. We'll, we'll set up a phone call." And we actually ended up going to my Uncle, uh, Danny's and, uh, Aunt Sherry's house. And that's actually where I got to speak to him on the phone for a couple minutes.

[45:05] Speaker 1: First time?

[45:06] Speaker 2: First time. Um, yeah. After I found out who my dad was and then I got to know more about him through people talking or just TV stuff, I, you know, I, I got very curious of what kind of person he was. And so I w- I was always daydream about... You know, sitting in school or whatever, and daydream about what it would be the day I get to meet him.

[45:38] Speaker 1: Sure.

[45:38] Speaker 2: What if-

[45:39] Speaker 1: Like anybody would.

[45:40] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[45:40] Speaker 1: And I think, to put it in perspective, um, and for people just joining us, this is Kerry Earnhardt, son of Dale Earnhardt Sr. Um, to put it in perspective, at this time, this is kind of like, you know, pre-internet, you know. It's not like you're gonna do a Google search on Dale Sr. and figure everything out and see a million pictures.

[46:03] Speaker 2: Right, right.

[46:03] Speaker 1: You know, this is back when it was still, you know, more like, you know, you're talking to people and reading things.

[46:11] Speaker 2: Yeah. That's, that's... Yeah. That was way before I knew much about internet, so...

[46:17] Speaker 1: Sure. Yeah.

[46:18] Speaker 2: It was-

[46:18] Speaker 1: You know, anything else.

[46:20] Speaker 2: Even if it was around, 'cause like I said, I w- I was always the one who wanted to be outside running around, playing ball, you know, playing ball with my friends or riding motorcycles or bicycles or fishing. So I was never, never around computer stuff except for when I was in school. And that was-

[46:35] Speaker 1: And this is when... So he would have probably been in the Wrangler car at this point, right?

[46:40] Speaker 2: Yeah. He was in the Wrangler car.

[46:42] Speaker 1: Yeah. So he was, he was known, but he wasn't the household name probably that he became later, was he?

[46:50] Speaker 2: No, not yet.

[46:51] Speaker 1: Not yet.

[46:51] Speaker 2: That was early in, in his career.

[46:52] Speaker 1: I mean, this is when he's starting to make a name for... People are noticing him, but he's not like... He's not the Dale Earnhardt that... He's not the intimidator yet, right?

[47:00] Speaker 2: He's not the intimidator by the end. (laughs)

[47:01] Speaker 1: Yeah. (laughs)

[47:02] Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. And, you know, it's just... You know, I always, like I said, thought what it would be like and everything. And then I finally seen in the newspaper that he was gonna be at this, I think it was Wine- Winehouse Motors in, uh, Annapolis. And I seen he's gonna be there for an appearance, and that's when I got talking to my mom about, you know, maybe going to, you know, a meeting that day. And she, you know, we fought back and forth, and it was right beside Food Lion. And so we had to go to the grocery store, went grocery store. And I seen the car sitting there, the Wrangler car sitting on the trailer up there in front of the dealership. And I kept on, "Mama, Mama, come on. Let me go, let me go." And finally she agreed, and she sat across the street leaning against the telephone pole while I sat over there waiting for him.

[47:49] Speaker 2: And of all things to be in the newspaper the next day was my mom leaning against that telephone pole waiting for Dale Earnhardt to show up for an appearance, and he never showed up for it. (laughs)

[48:02] Speaker 1: Dale's number one fan.

[48:04] Speaker 2: Yeah. (laughs)

[48:05] Speaker 1: (laughs)

[48:05] Speaker 2: And, and of course, you know, my stepdad didn't know we were gonna be there and everything, so that, you know, created some more issues and conversations.

[48:12] Speaker 1: Oh, boy. Did he see it?

[48:15] Speaker 2: Yeah, he did. Uh, he's always into paper and sports and stuff, so, um, so yeah-

[48:20] Speaker 1: And I'm sure it had to be something that weighed on you a little bit because at the s- at the same time that you're curious, I'm sure you, you didn't want to do anything to hurt Jack, you know.

[48:30] Speaker 2: Right, right.

[48:30] Speaker 1: 'Cause Jack had been good to you and, and I understand that completely. I was the same way. I mean, I really didn't even try and look up my biological parents till after my parents passed.

[48:42] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[48:43] Speaker 1: I just... Not, not... They were, they were always very open about it, much like I'm sure your mom was, but just didn't wanna... I don't know. I was always funny... Felt funny about it.

[48:53] Speaker 2: Yeah. It's just... Well-There's ... Like I said, there's a lot of people out there that have been adopted that has a lot of the same scenarios growing up-

[49:03] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[49:04] Speaker 2: ... like myself and you have. And, um, it's ... Whenever I talked that story on the Dale Jr.'s podcast, and also I did a thing with, uh, Stapleton 24. It's, um, it's a YouTube channel.

[49:27] Speaker 1: Yeah, I remember that.

[49:28] Speaker 2: And-

[49:28] Speaker 1: Spent the day with them.

[49:30] Speaker 2: A lot of people, after them two shows, came up to me and, and I've had several of them that actually tear up talking about, you know, they ... How much it touched them and helped them with their situations growing up being adopted and everything, and not knowing their dad. Um, it, it, it really meant a lot to me that, that helps people. Um ...

[49:55] Speaker 1: I can see that.

[49:56] Speaker 2: And I never thought about, you know, other people that was adopted of what they've gone through until after I'd done that show and these people started coming up talking to me about it. And it reali- ... It made me realize that, like I always said, we're, we're all the same. We all have-

[50:12] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[50:12] Speaker 2: ... uh, issues and stuff, and all have, you know, scenarios in life that we've had to, you know, challenge and struggle through. And, um, but to hear, you know, coming from them people themselves that-

[50:26] Speaker 1: And, and realizing-

[50:27] Speaker 2: ... it really touched me.

[50:27] Speaker 1: ... they have some of the same feelings that you had.

[50:29] Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah. And that's ... And I was, you know, thankful that I was able to, you know, help them with whatever they were going through at that time.

[50:38] Speaker 1: Yeah, and likewise. I think that is a big help, probably even more than you realize. It was ... And even Dale Junior is like, you know, from both sides. I'm sure there was siblings out there that didn't know they had a brother or sister, that found out much like Dale and Kelly did, and that helped hearing their side of it. So, you know-

[50:58] Speaker 2: It did.

[50:58] Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm sure that that's something that's very real for a lot of people. You know, I, I can understand that. So as you, you, you've met him now and it's kinda out, how did things go with like Jack and your mom and then and now Dale Senior?

[51:15] Speaker 2: Um, it was a struggle at first. You know, that they ... I could tell that they didn't like me doing ... like, seeing him and stuff, but they didn't try to get in between me seeing him and visiting with him. And, you know, it's just-

[51:33] Speaker 1: Sure.

[51:34] Speaker 2: It ... We ... And af- af- ... After that, I started talking to Jack about it and having conversations, just me and him, about, you know, what, what I wanted in life with Dad. You know, Jack ... With Dale. Um, be- ... You know, to get to know him and be part of the family again, and ... But I didn't want to upset him and then bother him, and I wanted him to, um ... I wanted him to be okay with it, and, and understand that that's something that-

[52:08] Speaker 1: It's nothing against him.

[52:10] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[52:10] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[52:10] Speaker 2: It's something that's important he can help me with that. And so it, it worked out and we, you know, like I started, you know, being around Dad in everything. And like I said, me and Dale Junior got me a race car and we started racing. And so it went from there to advancing up in my career from, you know, street stock days up to late models to Goody's Dash. Actually, I went to Goody's Dash from street stocks. I remember the Concord. Went Goody's Dash running a four cylinder race car around Daytona Speedway. That was a huge thing.

[52:39] Speaker 1: Yeah, for, for people not ... That people that aren't aware, you know, we have a lot of ... We have a diverse group on this show.

[52:45] Speaker 2: Yes, sir. Yes.

[52:46] Speaker 1: Ex- ... Tell them a little bit about what Goody's Dash is.

[52:48] Speaker 2: Well, Goody's Dash was a little four cylinder car. It's a little Cavalier, Chevrolet Cavalier I drove. Um, you know, it was the smaller cars. And, uh, Richard Mash out of Taylorsville, North Carolina, was the car owner, and a great car owner. I mean, he was ... Accomplished a lot in that series. Um, and so we, we would run around the big tracks like Daytona or just, like, cup cars and stuff. We'd kind of follow their circuit.Um, and then we'd run a lot of short tracks also. So, you know, going from racing at a half mile racetrack in a street stock car, which everybody that may not know, is like, a regular car you drive on the road. It was a 1981 Monte Carlo.

[53:30] Speaker 2: And, uh, the one-

[53:32] Speaker 1: Not a lot different to it.

[53:33] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[53:34] Speaker 1: Some safety equipment and-

[53:35] Speaker 2: Yeah, a lot. And, you know, speeds are a lot different, too. So I ... And I went from running this racetrack where you're letting off into corners to go through the corners and stuff, to running at Daytona, where you're not supposed to let off into corners. And I remember, you know, going out there the first practice and got done with my first, you know, runs at the racetrack and coming in and sitting there working on the car. And Dad comes up and says, "Look, you're not gonna get back in these cars unless you hold it wide open." I said, "But you let out in the corners." He said, "Just hold it wide open." I said, "Well, if I wreck it, you're, you're going ... You're paying for it. Just trust me." And so I went back out next practice and he's on the radio with me, talking to me and I held it wide open and he's like, "Looky there, you're second on the board right now." And I went from, like, 17th to second.

[54:22] Speaker 2: (laughs)

[54:22] Speaker 1: Just know that ... Was that nerve-wracking going into the corner first time wide open? (laughs)

[54:27] Speaker 2: It was the first lap. I was like, "Oh, hell. W- We gonna make it or not?" And then it-

[54:32] Speaker 1: And then it's amazing how well the car sticks, and then you're like, "Huh." (laughs)

[54:37] Speaker 2: It is. And, and, you know, them cars, they're ... Like I said, they have, um, suspension adjustable- ... Adjustable suspension and shocks and everything, just like, you know, the Xfinity cars, cup cars and late model cars and stuff like that, where my street stock didn't have. You couldn't do any adjustments. You had ... Everything had to be, you know, just like manufactured.

[54:58] Speaker 1: ... vehicle with. How much did he talk to you like that? Like, how much did he say, "Do this," or, "Do that," or, "Put the car here"?

[55:07] Speaker 2: A lot. He did. He helped me a lot.

[55:09] Speaker 1: Little old things, yeah.

[55:11] Speaker 2: Yeah, and you know, it was like ... So, uh, as I advanced up from Goody's Dash to late models, started running late models, then I went to running ARCA. Uh-

[55:19] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[55:20] Speaker 2: Actually, I ran Busch Series first. It was a chanlock car, you know, it was Doug Taylor Motorsports. I ran that for a year and, you know, finally, like, went to Dad and was like-

[55:32] Speaker 1: Mm-hmm.

[55:32] Speaker 2: ... "Man, I need to drive for you. If there's an opportunity to race under Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, I'd like to do that." And he, he said, "I've, you know, been having this on my mind and been waiting for you to come ask." So we ended up putting an ARCA deal together and, um, it's basically ARCA's old cup cars.

[55:53] Speaker 1: Sure.

[55:54] Speaker 2: So it was the same thing the cup guys were driving so we had a lot of cars and parts laying around there. And I can remember going, uh, where is it? Pocono, and I'm sitting there racing and I've, I've got a pretty good lead on the field. Ryan Newman was the guy in second place and, you know, he was back behind me a good ways and I kept, you know, every lap I'd look up, see where he's at and finally Dad's like, "If you don't stop looking in that mirror, you're gonna lose this race." I'm like, "I'm doing all these races." "Trust me. It, it's slowing you down." So, and Ryan, he was gaining on me and so I stopped looking in the mirror and so I started pulling back away again and, uh, I won that race by half a track length over Ryan Newman.

[56:40] Speaker 1: And it's amazing too that he could tell just by your driving and the times what you were doing.

[56:44] Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, that, it's, it's-

[56:45] Speaker 1: (laughs)

[56:46] Speaker 2: That man knows everything.

[56:48] Speaker 1: He really did.

[56:49] Speaker 2: He knew everything. It's like how you see me, how did you see me looking in a mirror? There ain't no way. But he knew, he-

[56:57] Speaker 1: Well, and he was one of those guys, too, that knew the car so well, I would be willing to bet he could almost tell by the time and the sound if he was taking his eyes off the road.

[57:07] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[57:07] Speaker 1: You know what I mean? Like he, he just-

[57:09] Speaker 2: He did. He did.

[57:09] Speaker 1: And then being the driver himself, he probably knew you were looking in the mirror.

[57:12] Speaker 2: Well, he-

[57:12] Speaker 1: (laughs)

[57:13] Speaker 2: He knew because he probably done it himself and learned it. How I-

[57:16] Speaker 1: Exactly.

[57:17] Speaker 2: (laughs) And so, yeah, that ... We had a lot of good times and, you know, back to my mom and D- Dad's Jack and our relationship with, you know, Dale Earnhardt, from my dad.

[57:28] Speaker 1: Starting that, yeah.

[57:29] Speaker 2: Um, yeah, it was ... When I went to Daytona to run that Goody's Dash race, you know, I got my mom and Jack to go, and we're hanging out there and Dad, Dale and Jack's talking and they're actually having a conversation and I'm like, "Man, this is really cool." And so I'd, uh, heard the story before the race, the Goody's Dash race. Uh, my car was number three, Goodwrench on it, black with silver on the bottom just like Dad's. I remember that race, after the race, the story was told, and I think Dad talked ... Dale talked about this, that he took my mom and Jack up into the Goodyear Tire at Daytona to watch the race.

[58:12] Speaker 2: And they were sitting there and somebody hollered, "Dale, is that your son?" He goes, "Yeah, it's our son, ain't it, Jack?" You know, and, and, and I think that's what opened the relationship for Jack and Dale to get to know each other and be able to be around each other, um-

[58:33] Speaker 1: And it really is another example of what he was like as a man.

[58:38] Speaker 2: It is, and, and you know-

[58:39] Speaker 1: You know, he was just kind of one of those guys you k- you couldn't help but like him.

[58:43] Speaker 2: Oh, no. And, and, like, when I, when I started running late models, you know, Jack actually studied about race cars and learned a lot and he, he was my crew chief for a while on my late model cars, working out of Dale Earnhardt Incorporated. He was always over there in the evenings when he'd get off work. He'd come over and work and do things and then occasionally Dad, Dale, or Dad would come in and say, "Hey, Jack, let's go ride around the farm a minute." So they'd go ride around the farm and talk about who knows what, but ...

[59:12] Speaker 2: And, and, and you know, it meant a lot to me that they were able to have that relationship and, and it helped, uh-

[59:19] Speaker 1: It says a lot about both of them, you know-

[59:21] Speaker 2: It does. It does.

[59:21] Speaker 1: ... that obviously both cared about you a lot and I'm sure your dad was grateful that Jack was there when he couldn't be.

[59:31] Speaker 2: Oh, I, yeah, I'm ga ... And I know he is. I mean, that's, that's why he gave me up for adoption, he said, 'cause he, he wasn't in a position in his life to be taking care of a kid-

[59:40] Speaker 1: Mm.

[59:41] Speaker 2: ... and be there for him. Like, like he-

[59:43] Speaker 1: Well, and I know those early days were scary for him. I mean, I've-

[59:47] Speaker 2: Yes.

[59:47] Speaker 1: I've known people who were close to him that, you know, talked about it and they're like, you know, you, you don't ... People don't know what he went through to be able to keep racing.

[59:56] Speaker 2: Yeah, they don't, and, and, you know, for ... But like I said, for him to give me up for adoption for Jack because he knew Jack could take care of me and be there for me.

[01:00:08] Speaker 1: And yet still stayed close. And I think-

[01:00:11] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[01:00:11] Speaker 1: ... it was probably just like, you know, his brother and sister-in-law stayed for your aunt and uncle and your meemaw and everybody stayed close, you know, you, you were still an Earnhardt.

[01:00:21] Speaker 2: Yeah, and, and, you know, but ... We didn't ... We weren't close when I was put up for adoption, um, and you know, I never got to know my PawPaw Ralph and I've, I've got one picture of him holding me as a baby.

[01:00:39] Speaker 1: How old were you when he passed? Young, huh?

[01:00:46] Speaker 2: I don't, uh, uh, I don't know.

[01:00:48] Speaker 1: I mean, we can look it up but, yeah, I don't remember what year it was.

[01:00:51] Speaker 2: I didn't, I didn't even, you know, traipsing around here and looked at all that, um-

[01:00:55] Speaker 1: So you don't remember him, obviously. He was-

[01:00:57] Speaker 2: No, I, no, no.

[01:00:58] Speaker 1: ... just little.

[01:00:58] Speaker 2: No, I have no recognition or m- or memories or anything of PawPaw Ralph, uh, just stories and, like I said, that one picture.... um, my dad-

[01:01:08] Speaker 1: Did Dale talk about him a lot?

[01:01:10] Speaker 2: Yeah, he did.

[01:01:11] Speaker 1: Okay, so they were pretty ... He was influential to him for sure.

[01:01:15] Speaker 2: Yeah, and, and Papa Ralph was, uh, way I understood was kind of a hard fella and, you know, kids had ... Like I said, they, they learned to do things their own and, you know, and that's just some ways that parents raise their kids so they can be able to manage a life and when they get out on their own.

[01:01:39] Speaker 1: Well, and the ... And I'm not making excuses for him but to put it in perspective too, I think 'cause I ... So m- my dad was much older than his dad. You know, my dad was born in '21. His dad was born around '01 and kind of similar to Ralph, you know, Dale Sr. was born in '51, you know, Ralph would have been born, you know, right around the Depression and stuff and World War I, World War II growing up in that.

[01:02:05] Speaker 2: Right.

[01:02:05] Speaker 1: That's a different ... Those people had a different era.

[01:02:07] Speaker 2: Yes, sir. They did.

[01:02:08] Speaker 1: You know, it was a harder life.

[01:02:10] Speaker 2: Yes.

[01:02:10] Speaker 1: And I think people don't realize that, that there was a real sense of survival. You know, it was kind of like, you know, work, provide, keep food on the table, keep a roof over the head and that puts a different pressure on a guy.

[01:02:25] Speaker 2: It does and, and that ... And you, you hit it on the right nail, head on the nail, uh, nail on the head. There we go. Um, you know, it was a different era where, like I said, it was a lot going on that men went through with, you know, being in the military and fighting for our country and stuff like that, and it was a, it was a survival mode back then.

[01:02:47] Speaker 1: Absolutely. And I think too some of the, you know, more rural areas like I grew up in a rural area and know like, my dad was in World War II and at the time that he went off my mom, and would have been my oldest brother at that time had to go and live with my grandparents out on a farm because, you know, they obviously didn't make enough to get by on their own.

[01:03:08] Speaker 2: Right.

[01:03:08] Speaker 1: And I'm sure it was like that for Ralph, you know what I mean? He went through that and-

[01:03:12] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.

[01:03:13] Speaker 1: That's, that's a, that's a ... You're, you're, you're starting with basically nothing.

[01:03:19] Speaker 2: Right and my, you know, my grandpa, he raced and he raced to provide a living for his family and, um, you know, just like dad. You know, he grew up with that, with that in the background.

[01:03:34] Speaker 1: Father-

[01:03:34] Speaker 2: Father figure.

[01:03:34] Speaker 1: But he even had the knowledge of that father that, that did know cars and was able to pass it on and then he kind of took it to the next level.

[01:03:41] Speaker 2: Yes, sir. Yes, sir, he did and yeah, I think that's, I mean, unfortunate because, you know, we got to be together like we were and I learned a whole lot from him through, you know, working on cars and stuff like that too, and racing, um-

[01:03:58] Speaker 1: And just life.

[01:03:59] Speaker 2: Yeah, and just life. Um, you know, like 'cause I tell-

[01:04:02] Speaker 1: He was ... You know, people don't realize how sharp, and you touched on it, you know, that he gave your wife some advice that helps her business. I don't think people realize how sharp he was business-wise. He was one, if not the first, and he ... I ... If I'm not mistaken he was the first, that licensed his own name in NASCAR.

[01:04:25] Speaker 2: He was.

[01:04:25] Speaker 1: And that was something that just, I mean, today it just seems like an automatic. That wasn't done then.

[01:04:33] Speaker 2: No. No, no.

[01:04:33] Speaker 1: Nobody had done that and, and that is, you know, for people that don't know what that means is every single T-shirt, key chain, hat, you name it, if it said DEI or Dale Earnhardt on it, he, he had a royalty off that.

[01:04:49] Speaker 2: Right, he did and, and, you know, Sports Image was the big apparel company back in the day and, you know, that's the company that sold license and sold all the apparel, you know, key chains and everything in NASCAR and, you know, it ... I guess whoever had it struggling with managing the company and all, and it, it was a great successful business and, you know, Dad ended up buying the company and built it up really, really good and ended up turning around selling it and, you know, he, he saw that vision. He, he knew he could get this company at a decent price and then turn around and sell it and make a lot of profit off of it.

[01:05:32] Speaker 2: So-

[01:05:32] Speaker 1: And he kind of recognized his own value as a brand.

[01:05:35] Speaker 2: Yes.

[01:05:35] Speaker 1: You know, he could see what he was become- ... And then he, he actually couldn't just see it, he actually made it. I mean that-

[01:05:42] Speaker 2: He made it.

[01:05:42] Speaker 1: The Intimidator really became a character. I mean, I've always said this, there was, there was Dale, there was Dale Earnhardt Sr. and then there was The Intimidator.

[01:05:54] Speaker 2: Right.

[01:05:54] Speaker 1: There were three different people.

[01:05:56] Speaker 2: (laughs) Three different ... Yep. Yep. That's for sure.

[01:06:01] Speaker 1: Right. So you grew up, you know, now you're into racing. You're, you're starting to see some success. Family's growing.

[01:06:08] Speaker 2: Yes, sir.

[01:06:09] Speaker 1: You know, what point do you start getting into the outdoor stuff?

[01:06:12] Speaker 2: Um, well, through, through-

[01:06:15] Speaker 1: Or was that after you retired more?

[01:06:17] Speaker 2: Well yeah, through, uh, during racing, you know, with my family traveled with me, my wife homeschooled the kids so they traveled with me and then there towards the end about the last six, five or six years of racing, um, you know, they didn't travel. The kids were in public school and, you know-

[01:06:34] Speaker 1: Just started getting busy, yeah, it's hard.

[01:06:36] Speaker 2: Life got busy and, you know, wife got tired of traveling so much and here I was on my own traveling by myself and it just, you know, got-

[01:06:43] Speaker 1: That's hard.

[01:06:44] Speaker 2: It, it kind of took away from my family, um, but-

[01:06:48] Speaker 1: And, and for people just joining us, this is Kerry Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s son. Uh, we're talking about his career and life and, you know, you touch on something there that you're out racing, you know, your family's going with you. How many weeks a year would you be on the road?

[01:07:03] Speaker 2: Um, well, I mean, it wasn't just for racing either. We had times we'd go out and do appearances or, you know, go in to task somewhere so...It, it was quite a bit. I mean, we have-

[01:07:15] Speaker 1: Most of the year?

[01:07:16] Speaker 2: ... 30-something races a year. No, it wasn't that many.

[01:07:20] Speaker 1: And you're probably there for four, five days of the, of the week.

[01:07:25] Speaker 2: Probably three days of the week.

[01:07:27] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[01:07:27] Speaker 2: Yeah. We'd, we'd home... We'd be home Monday... We'd get home Sunday night. Yeah, we, we would count Sunday night, 'cause we get home Sunday night, and you know, we'd end up leaving Wednesday or Thursday morning to go to racetracks. And then some of them days that you're, you're home on the weekdays, you... Like I said, you have appearances you gotta go do, and so you travel for that, and it just got to where I didn't really have family life. And, you know, I'd miss my boys growing up and playing ball and everything, and um, you know, miss our daughter, Blade, playing volleyball in school and stuff like that. And you know, we talked about having one of our own, and so when we talked about doing that, I was like, "Well, I'm gonna have to... I'm just gonna cut back on racing and, uh, be at home more." So I did that. I, I ran probably 10 to 12 races a year, and then the last year I ran six races and then finally just, you know, said, "This ain't for me." I, I want my family life.

[01:08:31] Speaker 2: I'd rather have that. So I ended up retiring from racing NASCAR to going to work at Dale Earnhardt Incorporated at the family business, and then, you know, this is all after Dad passed, so I did that for several years until, you know, Teresa decided to close the doors and, you know, get out of racing. And so from there I went on and me and my wife had an opportunity with Schumacher Homes to, um, join partnership with them to create some outdoor living style homes which is, you know, your post and beams rock, um, open home design, you know, kitchen and living room all flowed together, and you know, we, we've been fortunate with them.

[01:09:25] Speaker 2: Been with them for 11 years now, and creating home designs, just we'd work with architects in the company and tell them what we want and what we like to see in a home, and they, you know, would sketch it out and draw it up and, you know, we'd change a few things here and there, and, and, and Schumacher Homes would end up selling them

[01:09:45] Speaker 1: And you've, and you've been involved in a lot of different things too. I mean, that's under the Earnhardt Outdoors collection?

[01:09:51] Speaker 2: Correct. That, that's under Earnhardt Collection.

[01:09:55] Speaker 1: Collection?

[01:09:56] Speaker 2: It's Earnhardt Collection. And then we have Earnhardt Outdoors is where, you know, we... I, I started doing some TV shows with, um, uh, it was a show called Family Traditions, um, with a young couple who had two kids and, you know, they, they were about family and hunting in their show, and that, you know, it was... looked like a great partnership and something that would, you know, something that's kind of along my line as far as family and, you know, outdoors. So, you know, we worked with them for two years, and, you know, things just didn't work there and their show went downhill, um. They're no longer married now, so they got divorced, and it just, you know, show went away and I just kind of stepped out of hunting shows and started doing some appearances in, you know, like the outdoor industry and doing some shows here and there with Rock- Rocky Mountain Elk Federation and, uh, some other companies in the outdoor industry.

[01:10:55] Speaker 1: Then you guys also have Rural Heart, which is Renee's clothing and apparel.

[01:11:00] Speaker 2: Yeah, it's... Right, and so after I got that company going and, you know, we started doing things with it, um, my wife, she's, you know, her family is big in art, and her dad was a big artist, and her, you know, her, her, her niece, and, you know, they're all, you know, like drawing and creative. So she wanted to design something for, I guess, the countryside for women, and so she's created Rural Heart, which Rural Retreat is where she grew up from, and then Heart, I don't know where Heart come from, but, you know, she, she created that company and started doing shirts and hats and, um, little onesies for babies and all kind of things, bibs and everything, and, and recently Disney’s actually signed on to carry her products this year, so she's...

[01:11:53] Speaker 1: Oh, congratulations.

[01:11:55] Speaker 2: She's growing it. It's, it's been a long road, like anything is, but it's starting to take off now, so she's excited and happy about that, and we're just enjoying life.

[01:12:07] Speaker 1: So what, what, what are you into today? What's next? Where do you go, you know, in business or in what you're doing today? What do you guys see your next venture?

[01:12:17] Speaker 2: Um, that's yet to be seen. I... We haven't got anything in mind at this moment, but-

[01:12:22] Speaker 1: Still big with the homes, you wanna continue that obviously.

[01:12:25] Speaker 2: We're still doing, we're still doing homes. We're actually, uh, we're out... actually looking at growing Earnhardt Outdoors a little to another level now, working kind of like... We, we've got a website we just started up. It's Earnhardt Outdoors, and we're gonna be doing some stuff like traveling, going hiking, biking, fishing, hunting, um, anything

[01:12:48] Speaker 3: Like-

[01:12:49] Speaker 2: ... that's on-

[01:12:49] Speaker 1: Like planning things? Okay.

[01:12:51] Speaker 2: Yeah, and then, uh, we'll, we'll give our thoughts and two cents worth, so if anybody is looking to go, say, kayaking, they can get on their, our website and look up places we've been, and, you know, there's reviews we give and everything to help guide them in a direction, um, you know, a lot of people are-

[01:13:11] Speaker 1: That's a great idea.

[01:13:12] Speaker 2: Like we, we started, we started rafting, going, you know, going floating rivers and-You always w- worry about what company to go to, and what, which ones do, you know, good companies-

[01:13:24] Speaker 1: Yeah, have a good experience.

[01:13:25] Speaker 2: ... with good experience. We've, we've had some good ones, we've had some bad ones. (laughs) So, uh, that, that's what we wanna do is start there so people could, you know, have a guidance for them.

[01:13:34] Speaker 1: No, that's a good idea because a lot of people don't know where to start, but they're interested in, you know, especially, you know, folks who live in the city, you know, they, they may not know where to, you know, even begin and this gives them, it helps them put together a trip, plan where to stay, where's the best place to rent something, where to go for dinner.

[01:13:51] Speaker 2: Right, it does. And-

[01:13:51] Speaker 1: No, that's a great idea.

[01:13:53] Speaker 2: So we, we're talking about doing that, and just, you know, just, I guess an influencer is what, what they call them. Um, you know, people, a lot of people out there now doing this stuff, so we're gonna try to do it a little different and have some stuff that's-

[01:14:07] Speaker 1: A little more experience-based.

[01:14:07] Speaker 2: ... more, more ex- more attractive for the companies that we're wanting to, um-

[01:14:13] Speaker 1: Sure, partners.

[01:14:14] Speaker 2: ... represent.

[01:14:17] Speaker 1: That's really great. And then, do, you're obviously still close with Dale Jr. and Kellie. Do you do anything with JR?

[01:14:24] Speaker 2: No, I don't. Um-

[01:14:25] Speaker 1: Okay. Other than like, now do you guys, I know that there's the Dale Earnhardt Foundation. Is that still pretty active?

[01:14:34] Speaker 2: I don't think it is. I mean, it, it-

[01:14:36] Speaker 1: Kinda slowed down?

[01:14:37] Speaker 2: ... be stuff here and there. It ain't, it ain't as busy it was.

[01:14:40] Speaker 1: It was kinda Taylor's thing for a while there, wasn't it?

[01:14:43] Speaker 2: Well, before that it was me as I was doing a lot-

[01:14:45] Speaker 1: Oh, you headed it up. Okay. When you were at DEI?

[01:14:48] Speaker 2: Sir?

[01:14:50] Speaker 1: Was that when you were still at DEI?

[01:14:52] Speaker 2: I was working for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, and, you know, Taylor was young then so she-

[01:14:56] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[01:14:56] Speaker 2: ... she wasn't, um, wanted to be able to do stuff like I was and, you know, me and my wife set up a bunch of things. We had some good friends in Vegas and, you know, we hosted several, um, poker tournaments, and proceeds from the poker tournament went back to the foundation so, you know, it was able to do stuff 'cause Dale Earnhardt Foundation is all about, you know, helping kids in schools and stuff like that with education. And so we raised money for that and then we hosted events where, you know, Dad had these suites at the racetracks and we would put on events at the racetracks where we sold tickets for the, you know, people to come into the condo and hang out in the condo with us and watch the race and, you know, that money went to the foundation too and, um, it just, there was a lot done but I don't think a lot of people felt any appreciation for what they did.

[01:15:50] Speaker 1: Sure. And that happens.

[01:15:53] Speaker 2: Yeah, my, you know, I know Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet, uh, Tommy Cross, huge supporter of, uh, Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet and Dale Earnhardt Incorporated. He al- he would always put on a car show every year and he would take that money that he made from car shows and put it towards the Dale Earnhardt Foundation and, you know, this year he's not doing it because it, it's a lot to do. Um, he's, he went from having 20 cars the first show, the last show he had 330 something cars, um, it, you know, they spent a six months putting that together.

[01:16:24] Speaker 1: Oh yeah, it becomes a full-time project.

[01:16:26] Speaker 2: Yeah. (laughs)

[01:16:26] Speaker 1: I know a couple of-

[01:16:27] Speaker 2: They've got it there.

[01:16:28] Speaker 1: ... well, mutual friends of ours, Ray Evernham, he's got the Americanerne show up there-

[01:16:33] Speaker 2: Yep.

[01:16:34] Speaker 1: ... the same thing and that's a, that's a big undertaking.

[01:16:36] Speaker 2: It is. It is. And, uh, but, you know, Ray's, you know, Ray has a lot of appreciation and, and enjoys doing what he does with that too. Um-

[01:16:49] Speaker 1: Yeah, and he's kind of a natural, you know, and, but he's also got the, he's just at that point in his life where he can focus on things like that.

[01:16:57] Speaker 2: He is, he is. And yeah, I ran into him here in, here and there hearing, him and Aaron both, and they're always great people, so-

[01:17:04] Speaker 1: They're terrific people.

[01:17:06] Speaker 2: For sure.

[01:17:06] Speaker 1: And it's interesting for people that don't know or, you know, non-race fans, we were with Carey Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt's son, Senior, talking about Ray Evernham. Ray was Jeff Gordon's crew chief which-

[01:17:20] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[01:17:20] Speaker 1: ... from the stand side, the bleachers and the campers, there was a definite divide between the Dale fans and the Gordon fans, but it is interesting, both Jeff and Ray just had adm- absolute respect and admiration for Dale.

[01:17:38] Speaker 2: Oh, they did.

[01:17:38] Speaker 1: You know, I, I know Jeff gets choked up when he talks about him, you know, that he-

[01:17:43] Speaker 2: I think he does.

[01:17:44] Speaker 1: ... he was, looked, absolutely looked up to him and I'll tell you, and you know this story, but our listeners don't. Interesting thing that I've, I just think is the coolest thing, and Ray is a cool guy, but this is the coolest thing I've ever seen. In his office he has a race suit with, that he wore, and it has the patch peeled back and underneath it has Dale Earnhardt, and it was the first race suit that Ray had.

[01:18:13] Speaker 1: From what I understand, he couldn't afford one and he said to your dad, you know, "Do you have an old suit I could buy?" And your dad said, "What are you gonna do with it?" He goes, "I, I, I need a, I need a suit to race." So he gave him one that still had his name on it and he had a patch made-

[01:18:26] Speaker 2: (laughs)

[01:18:26] Speaker 1: ... and put it over your dad's name and-

[01:18:29] Speaker 2: Wow.

[01:18:29] Speaker 1: ... it's in a glass case in his office. You, you've never seen it?

[01:18:33] Speaker 2: I have not. That's the first I've heard of this, but that's pretty interesting story.

[01:18:37] Speaker 1: So the, I could have the exact details wrong but the fire suit exists, it's in a glass case, and it just has the patch peeled back so you can see that it's Ray Evernham on the patch and Dale Earnhardt under the patch.

[01:18:54] Speaker 2: Oh, wow. Man, I'm gonna have to go see that now.

[01:18:56] Speaker 1: And he, you know, he, it is, and I think that says a lot about your dad, but it also says a lot about this industry, that it really is almost like a big family. Like-

[01:19:08] Speaker 2: It is.

[01:19:08] Speaker 1: ... everybody, you know, I, you know, going back, you know, and I can remember seeing this, you know, somebody's car would break and they'd go down to the garage and people would lend people parts to get, you know, you, you'd do whatever you had to do to get one of your buddies back on the track that you're racing against.

[01:19:25] Speaker 2: Yeah.Yep, he did and Dad, Dad was that person. He actually helped, you know, work on other people's cars too and he-

[01:19:31] Speaker 1: No question.

[01:19:32] Speaker 2: ... gave them advice, you know and ... It just, you know, it's just, it's like I said, it's a big family and, you know, I know Dad and Jeff Gordon they did some, uh, business partnerships together too, um, that people don't realize. You know, they thought they were enemies against each other but they were actually business part- business partners also.

[01:19:50] Speaker 1: No yeah. The, the fans, the fans, (laughs) the fans were a little more, you know, spicy towards each other than they ever were.

[01:19:57] Speaker 2: Yes, they were. (laughs)

[01:19:59] Speaker 1: It, and it's kinda funny-

[01:20:02] Speaker 2: That's what made racing what it was though, you know, as a fan.

[01:20:05] Speaker 1: There's no question, and you know what's interesting to me today, and, and it always ... It actually makes me feel really good 'cause like I've said I, I've always had absolute respect for your dad and not in the sense like most people do. Like, I couldn't even rattle off his stats probably like a true Dale fan could, but I always loved the fact that you go to a race today, you will still see a ton of number three shirts and, you know, there's, there's ... They're still there.

[01:20:36] Speaker 2: They do, uh, and I, uh, just out in public too. I see like the old school three stuff, you know.

[01:20:41] Speaker 1: Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

[01:20:42] Speaker 2: That's really cool.

[01:20:43] Speaker 1: To any of us, the real number three, there was only one number 3. I wish they retired that number. (laughs)

[01:20:48] Speaker 2: Yeah, well it's-

[01:20:50] Speaker 1: I, um, but no, yeah. That's what I mean. When I say that, I'm talking about Dale's number-

[01:20:55] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[01:20:55] Speaker 1: You know, it was just, you know, there's ... It's kind of funny to anybody close to him that the two and the three really belonged to him.

[01:21:03] Speaker 2: Yeah, it did.

[01:21:03] Speaker 1: And it doesn't matter what car you see it on, it- it's really his number.

[01:21:07] Speaker 2: His number, yep. That's for sure.

[01:21:10] Speaker 1: But no, he was, he was a terrific guy and I gotta tell you, it's been absolutely amazing talking to you. I can't thank you enough for taking the time. You're, you're a great guy and have a great family and, you know, I really appreciate hearing the stories. I'm sure our listeners do too. So, you know, if you get a chance, check out Earnhardt Outdoors, check out, you know, the Earnhardt Collection.

[01:21:33] Speaker 2: Big mug right there.

[01:21:34] Speaker 1: And definitely check out, um, you know, all the other things that you guys are involved in. Is there anything else you want to talk about? We got Reel Heart as well. We gotta be sure to plug that next time.

[01:21:44] Speaker 2: Yeah, Reel Heart. We gotta help my wife out so we got-

[01:21:46] Speaker 1: Absolutely.

[01:21:47] Speaker 2: You better check it all out and you, and, and, you know, follow us on Facebook, um, Terry Earnhardt, just check me out on Facebook and-

[01:21:55] Speaker 1: Facebook and Instagram, I'm sure both.

[01:21:57] Speaker 2: Yeah, all that stuff. Social media stuff I gotta learn a lot more about.

[01:22:03] Speaker 1: Well, you do pretty well at it. So does your family, your boys do well at it. Your wife does well at it. (laughs)

[01:22:08] Speaker 2: Yeah, we, you know, we try and, you know, we just try to keep people in our lives and, you know, I know, like I said, a lot of people follow us and everything, like they know what we're up to and what we're doing, so we, we try to keep that going so everybody can see what we're doing.

[01:22:27] Speaker 1: Well, I'm sure everybody appreciates it. Everybody likes seeing you do well and it's, it's fun to catch up with you and hear about what you're up to.

[01:22:34] Speaker 2: Yeah, appreciate it.

[01:22:34] Speaker 1: So thank you a lot for joining us. I can't thank you enough. Um, this has been Hollywood and Horsepower. We appreciate you spending some time with us today. Be sure to check out our sponsors and be sure to check out Terry Earnhardt, follow him and his wife Renee Earnhardt online, Earnhardt Collection, Earnhardt Outdoors and Reel Heart. Anything else you want to plug, Kerry?

[01:22:57] Speaker 2: No, I appreciate you having me on and it's been, it's been a neat conversation, I'll say that.

[01:23:02] Speaker 1: Yeah, I appreciate you. I always enjoy talking to you and I can't thank you enough for taking the time.

[01:23:07] Speaker 2: Yes sir. Thank you.

[01:23:09] Speaker 1: All right. Thank you. This has been Hollywood and Horsepower. Be sure to check out the Palm Miami if you're ever in town there, and we appreciate everybody following us here on BBS Radio. (instrumental music)