Dale Earnhardt Jr. recounted his fourth birthday and shared an interesting anecdote of the way he remembers it, which included a surprise visit from his father, Dale Earnhardt. He explained how he remembers the whole occasion from the perspective of someone else in the room, calling it a movie-like format that allowed him to 'preserve' an otherwise lost memory.Earnhardt and his sister, Kelley Earnhardt, grew up amidst the rise of their father in the NASCAR world. They both lived with Earnhardt and their stepmom, Teresa Houston. In a 2019 episode of Dale Jr. Download, Kelley revealed how the siblings didn't always have 'the right family unit' but took comfort in the fact that they had each other.On the latest podcast episode of Bless Your Hardt with his wife Amy, Earnhardt recollected his fourth birthday and shared his memory of that day."My memory of my 4th birthday is from the point of view of someone in the room, not me. Memaw's kitchen, for some reason, there was a thought that Dad wouldn't be there, and he would then in turn be the surprise because he rides into the kitchen on a big Tonka truck. I'm surprised and happy obviously that he's there. And he's the surprise but also the toy," he said."The memory is from a perspective of someone of what you might have seen if you were standing in the room. And so it makes me wonder if I don't truly remember my point of view. I've preserved it in this sort of movie like format.....because I've lost the memory itself," he added.Dale Earnhardt Jr. lost his father to a fatal 2001 Daytona 500 crash when he was in his sophomore Cup Series season. He returned to track the following weekend at Rockingham Speedway and suffered an eerily similar crash that took him out in the opening lap.When Dale Earnhardt Jr. opened up about his father's deathIn a 2014 interview with CNN, Dale Earnhardt Jr. shed light on how he deals with his father's passing. The former Cup Series veteran admitted that he does think about it from time to time but noted that he isn't in denial of the whole ordeal."I think about it, and I’m comfortable thinking about it. I’m comfortable with how things went down. I believe that things happen for a reason, and that was his. That was his deal. That was his time," he said.Dale Earnhardt Jr. has had an enduring career worthwhile of his father's legacy, a rare feat in the world of racing. With 26 Cup Series wins, Earnhardt was named the Most Popular Driver for 15 straight years. He is also one among NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers, in addition to his Hall of Fame entry in 2021.