What Kerry Earnhardt and Dale Jr. said about their relationship with Dale Sr. in the 'Earnhardt' documentary

Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s two sons, Kerry Earnhardt and Dale Jr., had rather different upbringings. Kerry was born in 1969 to Dale Sr. and his first wife, Latane Brown.

His parents got divorced only about a year after his birth and Kerry only discovered at age 16 that he was part of the legendary Earnhardt family. After speaking once on phone, it took another three more years for him to meet the NASCAR legend. Following their first in-person meeting, Dale Sr. introduced Kerry to the rest of the family and supported his racing aspirations.

Meanwhile, Dale Jr., who was born to Dale Sr.’s second wife, Brenda Gee Jackson, had a different upbringing. His mother and Dale Sr. also got a divorce soon after his birth, but he went to live with his father and stepmother Teresa, who was Dale Sr.'s third wife.

In the Prime Video docuseries Earnhardt, which premiered last month, Dale Jr. said the "number‑one priority" of his father was racing, and "everything else took a backseat". He also spoke about his own formative years in racing, saying, "I had 159 races and dad never came to any of them".

"To a lot of people, he was like Elvis. … Or a John Wayne figure. They thought that he was indestructible and bulletproof and and couldn’t do any wrong. And so they worshiped him. I think that was the challenge for me and Kelley. We knew him as a real person that was a good dad. And a tough dad. And a not-so-good dad sometimes, with all of these human imperfections," he added via the Charlotte Observer.

Dale Sr. was best known for his aggressive driving and seven Cup championships, and he was often away from his kids as a result of his driving endeavors.

However, after Kerry became more connected to his Earnhardt side of the family, he also lived with Dale Jr. in the doublewide trailer across from their father's shop.

"I never talked to him again after that one phone call" - Kerry Earnhardt on three-year wait to see Dale Sr.

During an episode of the Dale Jr. Download episode in December 2024, Kerry Earnhardt shared how he would receive Christmas gifts from Dale Sr. but had to drive to his grandmother, Martha Earnhardt’s home after he got his driving license in the early 1980s to meet his father.

"Nothing happened from that and after that phone call, I never talked to him again after that one phone call... I did get Christmas gifts from him every Christmas... talking to Mom about it and it just wasn't going to happen. I knew that she wasn't going to do it, and so the day I got my license... the first place I went was Mammaw [Martha]," Kerry Earnhardt said (13:50 onwards)

Even though Kerry struggled to break into national rides like Dale Jr., he had success in ARCA and scored three wins in five starts during his 2001 campaign. He later competed in NASCAR’s truck series until 2009.

Now, after a 16-year hiatus, the 55-year-old is set to return to competitive racing at Tri‑County Speedway in North Carolina. He will sub for AJ Henriksen in ECC Motorsports’ No. 56 car for the Grand National Super Series this weekend and race in a full‑body stock car for the first time since 2009.