"I was afraid of any kind of negativity": When Dale Earnhardt Jr. struggled to open up before becoming NASCAR’s most relatable voice

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was appreciative but shy as a young driver, who felt more comfortable behind the wheel than before cameras. However, when he suffered a serious concussion in 2016, the son of NASCAR legend, Dale Earnhardt, had to step away from the track mid-season and rework his career.

In January 2022, he opened up about about his struggles with self-confidence and anxiety.

"I was real shy. I was afraid of any kind of rejection or any kind of negativity. When you go put yourself out there, you risk someone not liking that opinion or someone not agreeing with you or making fun of you. And I was really scared of that," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said (via Fox Sports).

His public image began to shift after a concussion sidelined him for the second half of the 2016 season. The JR Motorsports co-owner took to podcasting and launched The Dale Jr. Download as host in 2017 after retiring from full-time racing. It began as post‑race highlights but turned into weekly open conversations, including more than racing.

Earnhardt Jr. joined NBC for a NASCAR analyst role in 2018 and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame as the class of 2021. During his induction speech, he admitted the fact that his legacy might lie more off‑track than on it

"It is totally fine with me that someone may remember me for other things aside from my accolades on the racetrack or what I did behind the wheel of a race car," Earnhardt Jr. added.

Now, the 50-year-old has come full circle. His NASCAR Xfinity team has collected four Drivers' championships over the past two decades, and he has become NASCAR’s most relatable voice. Earnhardt Jr. had his wife to thank for helping him break out of his shell.

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"Trying to get me to get out" - Dale Earnhardt Jr. credited wife for pushing him beyond his comfort zone

Dale Earnhardt Jr. also shared one of the reasons for his personal growth. He revealed that his wife encouraged him to go out and accept new experiences.

"Her whole thing was fighting against the introvert that I was and trying to get me to get out and experience things more. The more I got out and experienced things, the more I had shared experiences with people," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said (via Fox Sports).

Earnhardt Jr. and Amy Reimann have been married for over nine years. They met in the late 2000s and married on 2016 New Year's Eve and have since welcomed two daughters. The couple, who founded a vodka brand together in 2021, also started a new podcast earlier this year, 'Bless Your Hardt', which explores their life, marriage and parenting.

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Edited by Luke Koshi