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Dale Earnhardt, Jr., comes from a family of racing legends. It starts back with his grandfather, Ralph Earnhardt, who was a legend in his era of NASCAR, just as the better known Earnhardts are today. Dale Earnhardt, Sr., grew up working hard and thinking of nothing but racing. Long before the world knew Dale Earnhardt, he had married his first wife and had a son, Kerry Dale Earnhardt, at the age of only 18. That marriage didn't last long, and soon Dale would marry Brenda, his second wife and Jr.'s mom. Dale and Brenda had a daughter, Kelley King, and a son, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. This marriage didn't last either; they were divorced by the time Jr. was 3. Kelley and Jr. lived with their mom in Kannapolis while their dad was on his way to becoming a Winston Cup champion. That changed, though, when 6-year-old Jr. awoke to smoke in the house. The family got out of the burning house okay, but Kelley and Jr. went to live with their dad. Their mom figured it would be a better life for them since she no longer even had a house to raise them in. She moved to Virginia, and Jr. saw her about twice a year.

It's not all sad, though. Jr. had a good life with Dale Sr. and his new step-mom, Teresa Earnhardt. He remembers wondering why dad couldn't be home during the week since there was no race going on, but he loved to race his Matchbox cars on the floor while he watched dad race on TV. By the time he was 11, Jr. was ready to try some racing of his own. His dad and Teresa took him go-cart racing. During that experience he wrecked and flew out of his car! His dad never took him back because he thought it was too dangerous. He did see Jr.'s potential then, though, because when Jr. flew out of his car, the only thing he said was, "Where's my car?" He was ready to get back in and try and finish!

There wouldn't be anymore races for Jr. for awhile, though. He was sent off to military school at the age of 13. When he got back, he was ready for racing again. At 17 his half-brother, Kerry, and he invested in an old '78 Chevy Monte Carlo. They ripped out the passenger seat and installed a roll bar. A little more welding and it was good to go. Soon Jr. was racing in the street stock division at Concord (NC) Speedway. He didn't win too many races, but he was loving it. Two seasons later he joined the NASCAR Late Model Stock Division, where he developed his knowledge of chassis setup and car preparation. Meanwhile, he was working at his dad's Chevrolet dealership changing oil and living in a double-wide trailer. He also threw in some college in his spare time getting a degree in automotive engineering. A couple years passed by and Dale Sr. was seeing what his son could do on a racetrack. When Jr. was 21, Sr. set him up in a ride with his Busch Grand National DEI team.

Next thing you know, Jr. is taking the world by storm driving the #3 AC Delco car. Jr. gave up his rookie year in 1997 opting for experience. The next two years were a whirlwind for Jr. as he won two BGN championships in 1998 and 1999. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that this kid could drive a car! He was even trying a few Winston Cup races in 1999, racing side by side with his dad for the first time in Japan. Budweiser agreed to be a full-time sponsor for Jr. in 2000.

The year 2000 rolls around, and Jr. is driving the Budweiser Chevy Monte Carlo weilding the #8 in honor of his grandfather. Jr.'s Busch team moved up with him to Winston Cup, and by the half-way point of the season they had won 2 points races and the Winston All-Star race. (Note: Jr. was the first rookie to win the All-Star race!) His rookie season was going great! His team's strategy started to fail, though. They were trying to finish in the top 3 every race and were losing their consistency. Jr. posted finishes worse than 30th for most of the rest of the season.

Things are going to be better in 2001, though...so everyone thought. Unfortunately, on the first race of the season, the Daytona 500, NASCAR fans lost their greatest hero. Even worse, Jr. lost his dad and car owner. Dale Earnhardt, Sr., died in a last-lap crash protecting Jr. and Michael Waltrip. While the DEI drivers, Jr., Michael Waltrip, and Steve Park, and their teams have had a tough year, they have managed to improve from last season. Mikey went on to win the Daytona 500, and Jr. came in 2nd. The next race at Rockingham was won by Steve Park. The season has been horribly emotional and filled with prying questions from the media, but DEI has risen above and proceeded with amazing grace. The next race at Daytona was even won by Dale Jr., and Mikey came in second. It was a true storybook finish...but the story isn't finished! In the years to come, Jr. is sure to prove what a fine racer he is! There are sure to be championships in his future and, hopefully, much happiness.