Dale Earnhardt Jr revisits how his dad got his start in NASCAR

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is giving NASCAR fans a treat this summer, doing a deep-dive into how his father began his career in NASCAR.

Of course, Dale Earnhardt Sr. is one of the most revered drivers to ever get behind the wheel of a stock car. You can still see plenty of his fans at the track week-in and week-out, so there’s plenty of interest in Earnhardt Jr. giving a look behind the curtain.

During last week’s episode of the Dale Jr. Download, titled Becoming Earnhardt Vol. 1: Proving Himself to a Ghost, Earnhardt dove into how his father got his start in NASCAR, and the impact his grandfather Ralph Earnhardt had on his dad’s career.

“Dad followed in his father Ralph’s footsteps, into the dirt, short-track, road circuit. By the early seventies, he was winning dozens of features, and even track championships at local speedways, like Metrolina and Concord, racing for family-friend Tommy Russell. But Ralph’s untimely death in 1973 would alter Dad’s career path. … Upon Ralph’s death, Dad decided to act on some advice he had parted to him about making it in auto racing. He had to learn to compete on asphalt,” explained Earnhardt Jr. “This task would prove easy, when NASCAR legend Ned Jarrett took over promotional duties at Metrolina, and laid down a fresh coat of blacktop. Dad would purchase a ’64 Chevelle, from the reigning NASCAR sportsman champion, Harry Gant, and hit the ground running.

“It was actually at Metrolina that Dad would get his first Cup start, in a 200-lap, non-points exhibition race in 1974, driving for Richard Brown. Ironically, Dad would finish fourth, and his eventual car owner, Richard Childress, would take home his lone Cup victory.”

That ended up being pretty sound advice from Ralph Earnhardt. Learning how to race on blacktop might’ve been the best decision Dale Earnhardt Sr. ever made, as it helped him on his way to becoming a legend in the sport.

There have been plenty of documentaries and even movies made about the untimely passing of Dale Earnhardt Sr., but hearing inside stories about everything from The Intimidator‘s first race to his last from Dale Earnhardt Jr. is pretty special. The NASCAR Hall of Famer even interviewed his own family members to be a part of the series, as his father’s story isn’t complete without their commentary.

From humble beginnings, Dale Earnhardt Sr. became a seven-time NASCAR champion, and it’s easy to see why his story is so inspirational not just to his son, but to all of his fans, as well.