Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals why his $9,300 pickup truck holds more value than any car he's ever owned

For someone who has raced and owned some of the most iconic cars in NASCAR history, Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't hesitate when asked to name the one vehicle that meant the most to him. Sitting across Kyle Petty on the latest episode of Dinner Drive, the two-time Daytona 500 winner shared a deeply personal story about his humble pickup truck.

When asked about his most special car from his collection, Dale Jr. said:

"Well, it's probably my little S10 pickup truck… It's a 1988 single cab. Two-tone black and silver. S10 pickup truck with the Tahoe package," said Dale Jr. (3:45 onwards)

Kyle Petty, who, like most fans, might have assumed the answer would be a race-winning stock car, was stunned by the answer. But for Dale Earnhardt Jr., the sentimental value far outweighs the dollar signs.

Earnhardt Jr.'s affection for his 1988 Chevrolet S10 pickup truck runs deep, dating back to when he was just 16. The two-tone truck was a birthday gift from his father, seven-time Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt Sr. It wasn't flashy. It wasn't fast. But it marked the beginning of his journey towards a life behind the wheel.

Years later, long after the original was wrecked, Dale Jr. went to great lengths to restore it at the Big Iron Garage.

"This was my first vehicle. This isn't the exact truck that I owned, but this is as close as you're going to get. And I'm so glad that I have it today. It's kind of like this thing that reminds you of where you were, where you've been," Earnhardt Jr. admitted. (4:31 onwards)

The $9,300 truck may not impress gearheads, but it embodies something far greater for Dale Earnhardt Jr. It's a physical link to his teenage years, to his father, and to the friends and memories he made while cruising around North Carolina.

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The Racecar Graveyard: Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s tribute to NASCAR's history

JR Motorsports team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. during the 2024 Xfinity Championship race. Source: Imagn

While his S10 pickup may serve as a personal time capsule, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s now-famous Racecar Graveyard is a full-scale museum of NASCAR history, buried beneath the Carolina woods. Situated on his Dirty Mo Acres property in Mooresville, North Carolina, the graveyard started almost by accident.

During the early 2000s, NASCAR began phasing out the Monte Carlo body style, and Dale Jr. asked the teams to preserve those soon-to-be-forgotten shells.

"They'd cut the whole body off and build a wood frame to hold it… and I would set them in the yard in my house. I only had about three or four and I'd call them yard ornaments," he told Petty. (2:46 onwards)

But those ornaments turned into a collection. And that collection, over the years, grew into a sprawling tribute. More than 75 cars now rest in that grove, some his own, others belonging to friends, Cup Series competitors, and legends.

"If somebody wrecked a car and I wanted it or thought I wanted it, I'd call the driver or the owner... I always thought there was a little bit of mystery and beauty. It was just an amazing image or visual looking at that car that's been there for decades," Dale Earnhardt Jr. added. (3:15 onwards)

The cars are placed by forklift or trailer, often untouched to preserve their authentic post-race states. Visitors and online followers alike marvel at the sight of crumpled metal and forgotten liveries, each telling its own story.

Danica Patrick's No. 10 Wonder Woman Chevrolet, wrecked at Kansas Speedway in May 2017, is one of the newest additions at the yard.