NASCAR crew chief flys to the Daytona 500 in Dale Earnhardt’s DEI jet for the first time

NASCAR crew chief Rodney Childers shared a social media post about flying on Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s jet for the first time. The flight was bound for Florida for NASCAR's season opener at the Daytona International Speedway.

Champion Air, founded by Dale Earnhardt Sr., owns the jet. The airplane is an Embraer ERJ-145EP, registered as N500DE, which is used to charter NASCAR teams throughout a season, though it also flies teams from other sports.

Rodney Childers took to X to post his view inside the flight heading to the Daytona Beach International Airport.

"All these years,, first time flying on this bird! 🛩️.. 500DE #Daytona500," Childers wrote.

Looking at the post, the branding of Dale Sr.'s race team, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI), is still in the jet. The seven-time champ passed away in 2001 after crashing on the final lap of the Daytona 500.

The racing operations were closed after the 2009 season when DEI struggled to stay afloat following Dale Jr.'s departure to Hendrick Motorsports. The team had a merger with Chip Ganassi Racing but it was short-lived.

Rodney Childers arrived at the Daytona International Speedway as a crew chief for Justin Haley and the No. 7 team. He signed with Spire Motorsports for the 2025 season, bringing a veteran status to Haley who is entering his fourth full-time Cup season.

The new driver-crew chief Spire Motorsports duo will formally debut in the Daytona 500 on Sunday.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. revealed his father Dale Sr.'s daily drives

Aside from a jet, Dale Earnhardt Sr. owned several cars, mostly Chevrolets. Dale Jr. revealed some of her father's everyday cars including a Silverado, the late driver's go-to in the last years of his life.

The seven-time champ also owned station wagons, which were used to drive Teresa Earnhardt around. Teresa was also the former NASCAR driver's third wife, making her Dale Jr. and Kelly Earnhardt-Miller's stepmother.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said about his father's daily drivers (via the Dale Jr. Download: Ask Jr.) [6:10 onwards]:

"Dad would get a Chevrolet pickup most times but he drove a Silverado, extended cab, that's what he drove in probably the last 5 or 10 years of his life."

"I remember Teresa Dad always having these big station wagons for Teresa to drive around. And they had these decal wood panelling on the side. We had a couple of those Chevrolets," he added.

Although not mentioned, Dale Sr. owned Chevrolet sports cars, including a Corvette C5-R and a 1969 Camaro.

Based on the model's fifth-gen iteration, the Corvette C5-R is a track-only car built for endurance racing. Earnhardt Sr. drove the car in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2001 with his son. They switched driving duties with Andy Pilgrim and Kelly Collins.

The No. 3 team finished fourth overall and second in class.

The American enduro race marked the last time the father and son raced as teammates following the untimely death of Dale Sr. later in the Daytona 500.