"If I wasn't racing, I'd be working at my dad's Chevrolet dealership,"
said Earnhardt Jr. "It was only a couple of years ago that I was the
fastest oil-change man in the place."
His career began meekly, as he and brother Kerry sold a go-kart for $500
so that they could by an old Monte Carlo racecar for $200.
Legend has it that Junior later sold that car to current
Busch Series driver Hank Parker Jr.
Earnhardt Jr. took his first green flag at the Concord Speedway in
the street stock division at the age of 17. He garnered three
feature victories from 1994-96.
Just two years later, Earnhardt Jr. dominated the Busch Series,
winning 13 races and two series championships in 1998-99. His first
title in 1998 made him the first third-generation NASCAR champion,
joining father Dale Sr. and grandfather Ralph. His maternal grandfather,
Robert Gee, was a well-known NASCAR fabricator and mechanic.
Junior wasted no time making an impact in NASCAR's elite series
when he entered in 2000. He won at Texas in his 12th career start
and at Richmond in his 16th start. He also became the first rookie
to win NASCAR's all-star race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
It also didn't take long for Junior to become the unofficial poster boy
of the sport. He's appeared on countless magazine covers, numerous
television talk shows and was the focus of two MTV documentaries:
�Cribs� and �True Life, I�m a Race Car Driver.�
Junior is also a co-owner of "Chance 2 Motorsports," a Busch Series race team.
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