5: Earnhardt Sr. Taught Many Drivers
Perhaps the greatest thing about Earnhardt Jr. is the fact that he’s been able to pick up on where his dad left off. He told Men’s Health about the impact that his father has on younger drivers including Jeff Gordon. “He didn’t give you a lot of time and didn’t sit down with you all that much. There were nights when we would sit in the living room and he would be in the La-Z-Boy watching TV, and you couldn’t get him to answer a question. He wasn’t a talker. When he did talk to you, you listened. But once, he sat me down and talked to me about drugs and school. I guess all fathers probably have this conversation.
“Maybe mothers, too. He quit school in eighth grade. He had already failed a couple of grades. He was 16 years old and quit racing cars or working on cars, and his father was so disappointed. That’s why my father would always remind us of how important it was for us—and him—that we finish school. And I’m so grateful now for that. He was always really concerned that we might fall into the wrong crowd and get mixed up in drugs and things like that. We had short conversations, but they were weighted. I could tell it was really important to him.”
