The story told of Dale Earnhardt in Amazon Prime Video’s docuseries, Earnhardt, was an emotional rollercoaster, to say the least. From The Intimidator’s relationship with his father, Ralph Earnhardt, and how he yearned for the affection that he never got, to Dale Earnhardt Jr. craving the same, the docuseries covered facets of the Earnhardt family that not many had seen before. Behind the scenes, The Intimidator’s kids, Kelley Earnhardt and Dale Jr., were instrumental in putting this together.
Junior, along with his sister, worked tirelessly to paint an honest and raw story of what it was to be around Dale Sr. However, for a man with 7 NASCAR Cup Series championships and a larger-than-life personality, it is understandably difficult to get everyone’s perspective on his life. While the siblings tried their best, Dale Jr. still rues the untold stories from his dad’s legendary career.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran into problems while making the series
The docuseries was a super hit on Prime Video, rocketing up to #1 on the U.S upon release. NASCAR fans all over were thrilled to see a side of Earnhardt that not many had broached before. His rivalry with Darrell Waltrip, the close relationship with Neil Bonnett before the latter’s passing, and the complex family dynamics between his children and their step-mother, Teresa Earnhardt. However. Junior wanted more people to chime in, as he felt some of his friends and family had valuable perspectives to share, but the uncertainty of the image they were painting of Dale Sr. drove them away.
In a conversation with John Durand on the Varsity podcast, Dale Jr. said, “When I read the reviews and comments around this documentary. The celebration of Kelley [Earnhardt Miller] and how people have really appreciated how she came about this, how she went at this, and tackled this. I really love that, cause she’s not really got a chance to tell her side.”
The documentary touches on the troubled relationship between Kelley and Dale Sr., and how they had not spoken for weeks before the Intimidator’s passing at the 2001 Daytona 500. Kelley got incredibly emotional and admitted that she had to learn to accept her father for who he was without getting any closure before he passed. However, Sr. had three wives and many children, one of whom didn’t even appear in the documentary, while the other appeared in a minimal role.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. wanted his dad’s oldest son, Kerry Earnhardt, to have a more significant role in the storytelling. Dale Sr. had Kerry with his first wife, Latane Brown, before splitting and marrying Brenda, with whom he had Dale Jr. and Kelley. Junior said, “I wish that Kerry [Earnhardt] had been more involved, wish that Kerry would have been able to tell a lot more about his experience. He too, has an incredible story, and his experience around dad and all of that was very tough. I would have loved to have had Taylor [Earnhardt] share her experience and how she views dad and her perception of her life. We can only open up the lines of communication and see if it worked out.”
Kerry Earhardt recalled not knowing his dad was Dale Earnhardt until he was a teenager, and upon finding out, he rode a bike to his grandmother’s house to visit Dale Sr.. Kerry admitted that he was nervous but was greeted by his dad with a smile when he walked into the garage, as the two of them took a drive where Sr. caught up with him and asked him about his life. However, not much more than this was divulged in the documentary about their relationship, leaving a lot of unanswered questions, which only Junior knows the answer to. Then there’s Taylor Earnhardt.
Taylor was born to Sr. and his third wife, Teresa Earnhardt. Taylor did not even appear in the documentary, as she lives a life outside the limelight, away from the glitz and glamor that the Earnhardt family possessed in the racing scene. She is currently a public speaker as well as a Rodeo Competitor, living in Mooresville, North Carolina. However, outside of the Earnhardt family, even Dale Sr.’s best friends were reluctant to appear on the documentary.
Dale Earnhardt Jr, Dale Earnhardt Sr
Junior continued, “We tried to help the Imagine folks really connect to everybody that they wanted to. Some people were very reluctant because they were either not interested or they were worried about, ‘What is this? I want to protect Dale’s legacy. Is this good? Is this going to help that? I’m not sure.’ A lot of people, some of dad’s really, really close friends, are still like, ‘That’s not for the world to know.’ So it was pretty interesting to go through that whole experience. I’m glad that we got out the other side of it, and it feels like everybody has embraced it, and we didn’t ruin any relationships.”
Let’s be honest, the Earnhardt docuseries does not attempt to paint Dale Earnhardt as a golden saint who could do no wrong. He was flawed, like every human being, and the docuseries showed that. His mixed relationship with Kelley and Dale Jr. set the tone for a somber telling of his journey of trying to be a good parent while also excelling at his dream of being a racecar driver to make his late father proud. It’s understandable that some of his friends were not ready to divulge tales of the Intimidator that they felt might paint him in a bad light, and were naturally skeptical.
The Intimidator’s legacy will live long beyond the racetrack, as he inspired millions of drivers today to be fearless and fight for what is theirs. However, the sheer magnitude of his persona didn’t allow for all the stories to be told. Maybe one day we get another angle to the Intimidator’s life, but until then, we can enjoy the way it has been captured by Dale Jr. and Amazon Prime Video in the riveting docuseries.
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