Kerry Earnhardt

Last updated
Kerry Dale Earnhardt
Born (1969-12-08) December 8, 1969 (age 54)
Kannapolis, North Carolina, U.S.
NASCAR Cup Series career
7 races run over 3 years
Best finish61st (2004, 2005)
First race 2000 Pepsi 400 presented by Meijer (Michigan)
Last race 2005 UAW-Ford 500 (Talladega)
WinsTop tens Poles
000
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
72 races run over 10 years
Best finish22nd (2002)
First race 1998 Myrtle Beach 250 (Myrtle Beach)
Last race 2009 Subway Jalapeno 250 (Daytona)
WinsTop tens Poles
060
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career
27 races run over 2 years
Best finish22nd (2006)
First race 2005 Florida Dodge Dealers 250 (Daytona)
Last race 2006 Ford 200 (Homestead)
WinsTop tens Poles
001
Statistics current as of June 7, 2012.

Kerry Dale Earnhardt (born December 8, 1969) [1] is a former NASCAR driver and the eldest son of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt. He is the half-brother of former NASCAR Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt Miller. He was employed by Dale Earnhardt, Inc. as a consultant specializing in driver development until 2011. His younger son, Jeffrey Earnhardt, began racing for DEI in 2007 and currently competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Kerry Earnhardt is known for his physical similarity to his father. [2] [3]

Contents

Early life

Kerry Earnhardt's mother, Latane Brown, was Dale Earnhardt's first wife. [2] [3] Dale Earnhardt was 18 years old and a local North Carolina dirt racer at the time of Kerry's birth. [3] [4] [5] The couple divorced when Kerry was one year old. [2] Brown eventually married Jack Key, who adopted Kerry; Kerry used his stepfather's surname for much of his life. Until he was 16, he saw little of his biological father. [2] [4]

Prior to his racing career, Earnhardt dropped out of high school and worked several odd jobs to support his family. This included working at a Pizza Hut and in the Cannon Mills in Kannapolis, North Carolina, where his grandfather, Ralph Earnhardt, also worked. [2] [4]

Racing career

Earnhardt began racing in 1992 driving street stocks. That same season, he raced in the NASCAR Goody's Dash Series. He raced at various tracks in 1993, including the East Carolina Motor Speedway near Robersonville, North Carolina and Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia. He scored two top fives and eight top 10s in 11 races and was the 1992 Rookie of the Year.

Earnhardt won a pole position and recorded eight top 5s and 40 top 10s as well as 1994 Rookie of the Year honors at his local track, Hickory Motor Speedway, in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series. His first NASCAR start came in the Busch Series at Myrtle Beach in 1998. After select Busch races in 1998 and 1999, he raced in the Automobile Racing Club of America's ARCA Racing Series in 2000 and 2001 for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) using DEI NASCAR Cup Series (known as the Winston Cup Series to 2003) equipment formerly used by Steve Park. [4] During this stint, he won four of his 11 starts, with seven top fives and eight top 10s. [3]

In 2000, Earnhardt made his Winston Cup debut at Michigan driving for Marcis Auto Racing, racing against both his father and his half-brother, Dale Earnhardt Jr. [4] [6] He wrecked out of the race on lap five. It was the first of his seven Winston Cup starts. In 2001, the same year his father was killed at Daytona, Earnhardt was involved in a massive crash on October 4 in an ARCA race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. On lap 63 of 67, Earnhardt had to dodge a lapped car by hitting his brakes, which caused Blaise Alexander's No. 75 car to catch up to Earnhardt. Alexander began to inch into the lead when Earnhardt's car made contact with Alexander's, sending Alexander's car head-on into the wall and back into Earnhardt's car, causing Earnhardt to flip over onto his roof and slide into the grass. Earnhardt managed to climb out by himself. Alexander was given a red flag and the race director called it official, which gave Earnhardt the victory. Alexander was pronounced dead in the infield care center at 10:20 p.m. [3]

In late November 2001, it was announced that Earnhardt would run the full 2002 Busch Series for FitzBradshaw Racing, owned by Armando Fitz and Terry Bradshaw. The entry was sponsored by Supercuts and 10-10-220, with a technical alliance with DEI. The car was initially numbered 8, but later numbered 12. [7] [8] [9] [10] He finished 22nd in points, scoring three top fives and six top 10s. This was one of his two full seasons in any of NASCAR's top three series (Cup, Busch, and Truck). He also attempted to make several Winston Cup races in 2002 and 2003 in the No. 83 Aaron's, Inc./Hot Tamales Chevrolet for FitzBradshaw, but failed to qualify for every race he attempted. [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] Midway through the 2003 season, Earnhardt was released by FitzBradshaw, replaced by Tim Fedewa. [2] [3] [11]

In 2004 and 2005, Earnhardt raced in six Cup Series races for Richard Childress Racing in the No. 33 car. [16] [17] All six starts were restrictor plate races (Daytona and Talladega). His highest finish was a 17th-place run at Talladega in the 2005 Aaron's 499. Also in 2004, Earnhardt made eight starts in the K&N Pro Series West for Bill McAnally Racing, scoring two top fives and five top 10s. [18]

In 2005, Earnhardt joined Billy Ballew Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series, replacing Shane Hmiel. [18] Earnhardt won the pole position for the season opening Florida Dodge Dealers 250, but he lost his ride after two races due to lack of sponsorship, with Hmiel returning. [19] For the 2006 season, he signed with ThorSport Racing and drove the No. 13 Chevrolet the full season with occasional sponsorship from the National Pork Board. His best finish of the season was 11th place at Nashville and Las Vegas. At the conclusion of the season, he and ThorSport Racing went their separate ways. [20]

In December 2007, Earnhardt announced his retirement as a competitive driver in a letter to fans on his website.

Earnhardt is still an active test driver for DEI and occasionally drove in the Nationwide Series (NNS). His last appearance in a national touring series was the NNS' Subway Jalapeño 250 on July 3, 2009 at Daytona International Speedway driving the No. 31 car for Rick Ware Racing. In 2016, he drove one of his father's original race cars, a No. 3 1995 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England. [21]

Family life

He and wife, René, married in 1999. They have a daughter, Kayla. From their previous marriages, Kerry has two sons, Bobby and Jeffrey, and René has a daughter, Blade. [2] [3] [4] [5] In 2017, Bobby Earnhardt raced part-time in the ARCA Racing Series, driving the number 3 Chevrolet for Hixson Motorsports and the number 96 Ford for Brian Kaltreider Racing. He made his NASCAR debut in the Xfinity Series driving the No. 40 Chevy Camaro for MBM Motorsports at Richmond in 2017. [22] As of 2022, Jeffrey Earnhardt races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Sam Hunt Racing and Richard Childress Racing, and has previously raced in the NASCAR Cup Series. [23] [24] Bobby and Jeffrey are the fourth generation of Earnhardts in professional motorsports. [25]

In May 2016, Earnhardt's stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, sued him for using the Earnhardt name when he and his wife were planning to market a line of homes and furniture under the name "The Earnhardt Collection". [26] [27] On July 27, 2017, Teresa Earnhardt won an appeal which required the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board to clarify its decision to allow him to use the name "Earnhardt Collection" in his business. [28] [29]

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Cup Series

NASCAR Cup Series results
YearTeamNo.Make123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536NNCCPtsRef
2000 Marcis Auto Racing 71 Chevy DAY CAR LVS ATL DAR BRI TEX MAR TAL CAL RCH CLT DOV MCH POC SON DAY NHA POC IND GLN MCH
43
BRI DAR RCH NHA DOV MAR CLT TAL CAR PHO HOM ATL 72nd34 [30]
2002 FitzBradshaw Racing 83 Chevy DAY CAR LVS ATL DAR BRI TEX MAR TAL CAL RCH CLT DOV POC MCH SON DAY CHI NHA POC IND GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH NHA DOV KAN TAL
DNQ
CLT
DNQ
MAR ATL
DNQ
CAR PHO HOM NA- [31]
2003 DAY CAR LVS ATL DAR BRI TEX
DNQ
TAL MAR CAL
DNQ
RCH CLT DOV POC MCH SON DAY
DNQ
CHI NHA POC IND GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH NHA DOV TAL KAN CLT MAR ATL PHO CAR HOM NA- [32]
2004 Richard Childress Racing 33 Chevy DAY CAR LVS ATL DAR BRI TEX MAR TAL
35
CAL RCH CLT DOV POC MCH
DNQ
SON DAY
28
CHI NHA POC IND GLN MCH
DNQ
BRI CAL RCH NHA DOV TAL
24
KAN CLT MAR ATL
DNQ
PHO DAR HOM 61st228 [33]
2005 DAY
DNQ
CAL LVS ATL BRI MAR TEX PHO TAL
17
DAR RCH CLT DOV POC MCH SON DAY
42
CHI NHA POC IND GLN MCH BRI CAL RCH NHA DOV TAL
39
KAN CLT MAR ATL TEX PHO HOM 61st195 [34]
Daytona 500
YearTeamManufacturerStartFinish
2005 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet DNQ

Nationwide Series

NASCAR Nationwide Series results
YearTeamNo.Make1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435NNSCPtsRef
1998 Specialty Racing 40 Chevy DAY CAR LVS NSV DAR BRI TEX HCY TAL NHA NZH CLT DOV RCH PPR GLN MLW MYB
23
CAL SBO
26
IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV GTY
39
CAR ATL HOM 72nd225 [35]
04 CLT
DNQ
1999 Galaxy Motorsports 40 Chevy DAY
20
CAR
43
LVS
36
ATL
33
DAR
DNQ
TEX NSV BRI TAL CAL NHA RCH NZH CLT DOV SBO GLN MLW MYB PPR GTY IRP MCH 81st256 [36]
Whitaker Racing 76 Chevy BRI
DNQ
7 DAR
DNQ
RCH DOV CLT CAR MEM PHO HOM
2001 Michael Waltrip Racing 99 Chevy DAY CAR LVS ATL DAR BRI TEX NSH TAL CAL RCH NHA NZH CLT DOV KEN
20
MLW GLN CHI GTY PPR
24
IRP MCH
26
BRI DAR RCH DOV KAN CLT MEM PHO CAR HOM 73rd279 [37]
2002 FitzBradshaw Racing 12 Chevy DAY
41
CAR
28
LVS
19
DAR
18
BRI
28
TEX
23
NSH
8
TAL
18
CAL
21
RCH
33
NHA
18
NZH
20
CLT
28
DOV
16
NSH
18
KEN
7
MLW
27
DAY
38
CHI
43
GTY
12
PPR
18
IRP
35
MCH
21
BRI
31
DAR
28
RCH
27
DOV
39
KAN
2
CLT
31
MEM
5
ATL
41
CAR
31
PHO
10
HOM
27
22nd3145 [38]
2003 DAY
14
CAR
15
LVS
14
DAR
33
BRI
34
TEX
31
TAL
17
NSH
26
CAL
40
RCH
19
GTY
17
NZH
14
CLT
35
DOV
14
NSH
30
KEN
34
MLW
15
DAY
33
CHI
41
NHA PPR IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV KAN CLT MEM ATL 27th1767 [39]
Innovative Motorsports 48 Chevy PHO
25
BACE Motorsports 74 Chevy CAR
23
HOM
2004 Richard Childress Racing 29 Chevy DAY CAR LVS DAR BRI TEX NSH TAL CAL GTY RCH NZH CLT DOV NSH KEN MLW DAY CHI NHA PPR IRP MCH BRI CAL RCH DOV
23
KAN CLT MEM ATL PHO DAR HOM 120th94 [40]
2005 Michael Waltrip Racing 98 Chevy DAY CAL MXC LVS ATL NSH BRI TEX PHO TAL
5
DAR RCH CLT DOV NSH KEN MLW 94th189 [41]
99 DAY
43
MEM
DNQ
TEX PHO HOM
Red Cactus Racing 73 Chevy CHI
DNQ
NHA PPR GTY IRP GLN
DNQ
MCH BRI CAL RCH DOV KAN CLT
2007 Jeff Spraker Racing 63 Chevy DAY CAL MXC LVS ATL BRI NSH TEX PHO TAL RCH DAR CLT DOV NSH KEN MLW NHA DAY
25
CHI GTY IRP CGV GLN MCH BRI CAL RCH DOV KAN CLT MEM TEX PHO HOM 134th88 [42]
2008 Dale Earnhardt, Inc. 8 Chevy DAY CAL LVS ATL BRI NSH TEX PHO MXC TAL RCH DAR CLT DOV NSH KEN MLW NHA DAY
17
CHI GTY IRP CGV GLN MCH BRI CAL RCH DOV KAN CLT MEM TEX PHO HOM 150th0 [43]
2009 Rick Ware Racing 31 Chevy DAY CAL LVS BRI TEX
DNQ
NSH PHO TAL
12
RCH DAR CLT DOV NSH KEN MLW NHA DAY
38
CHI GTY IRP IOW GLN MCH BRI CGV ATL RCH DOV KAN CAL CLT MEM TEX PHO HOM 101st176 [44]

Craftsman Truck Series

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results
YearTeamNo.Make12345678910111213141516171819202122232425NCTCPtsRef
2005 Billy Ballew Motorsports 15 Chevy DAY
35
CAL
17
ATL MAR GTY MFD CLT DOV TEX MCH MLW KAN KEN MEM IRP NSH BRI RCH NHA LVS MAR ATL TEX PHO HOM 67th175 [45]
2006 ThorSport Racing 13 Chevy DAY
18
CAL
29
ATL
34
MAR
20
GTY
27
CLT
20
MFD
27
DOV
29
TEX
34
MCH
29
MLW
35
KAN
25
KEN
23
MEM
28
IRP
23
NSH
11
BRI
20
NHA
19
LVS
11
TAL
36
MAR
33
ATL
21
TEX
29
PHO
27
HOM
19
22nd2199 [46]

ARCA Re/Max Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

ARCA Re/Max Series results
YearTeamNo.Make12345678910111213141516171819202122232425ARMCPtsRef
2000 Dale Earnhardt, Inc. 2 Chevy DAY
39
SLM AND CLT
2
KIL FRS MCH
3
POC
1*
TOL KEN BLN POC
2
WIN ISF KEN DSF SLM CLT TAL ATL
6
30th1150 [47]
2001 DAY
14
NSH WIN SLM GTY KEN CLT
20
KAN MCH
1*
POC MEM GLN KEN MCH POC NSH ISF CHI DSF SLM TOL BLN CLT
1*
TAL ATL
1*
35th1005 [48]
2007 Jeff Spraker Racing 37 Chevy DAY USA NSH SLM KAN WIN KEN TOL IOW POC MCH BLN KEN POC NSH ISF MIL GTW DSF CHI SLM TAL
DNQ
TOL 185th25 [49]

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References

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