Kerry Dale Earnhardt | |||||||
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Born | Kannapolis, North Carolina, U.S. | December 8, 1969||||||
NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
7 races run over 3 years | |||||||
Best finish | 61st (2004, 2005) | ||||||
First race | 2000 Pepsi 400 presented by Meijer (Michigan) | ||||||
Last race | 2005 UAW-Ford 500 (Talladega) | ||||||
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NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
72 races run over 10 years | |||||||
Best finish | 22nd (2002) | ||||||
First race | 1998 Myrtle Beach 250 (Myrtle Beach) | ||||||
Last race | 2009 Subway Jalapeno 250 (Daytona) | ||||||
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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career | |||||||
27 races run over 2 years | |||||||
Best finish | 22nd (2006) | ||||||
First race | 2005 Florida Dodge Dealers 250 (Daytona) | ||||||
Last race | 2006 Ford 200 (Homestead) | ||||||
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ARCA Menards Series career | |||||||
11 races run over 3 years | |||||||
Best finish | 30th (2000) | ||||||
First race | 2000 Pro2Call ARCA 200 (Daytona) | ||||||
Last race | 2001 Pork, The Other White Meat 400 (Atlanta) | ||||||
First win | 2000 Pocono ARCA 200 (Pocono) | ||||||
Last win | 2001 Pork, The Other White Meat 400 (Atlanta) | ||||||
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Statistics current as of June 7, 2012. |
Kerry Dale Earnhardt (born December 8, 1969) [1] is an American 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]
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]
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]
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]
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Year | Team | Manufacturer | Start | Finish |
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2005 | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | DNQ |
NASCAR Truck Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | NCTC | Pts | Ref | |||||||||||||
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 | 67th | 175 | [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 | 22nd | 2199 | [46] |
NASCAR Goody's Dash Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | NGDS | Pts | Ref | |||||||||
1993 | Dale Earnhardt Inc. | 3 | Chevy | DAY 7 | NSV 12 | SUM 19 | VOL 8 | MAR 16 | LON 7 | 411 | LAN | HCY 8 | SUM | FLO | BGS | MYB 7 | NRV 6 | HCY 6 | VOL 6 | 11th | 1520 | [47] |
(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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | ARMC | Pts | Ref | |||||||||||||
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 | 30th | 1150 | [48] | ||||||||||||||||||
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* | 35th | 1005 | [49] | ||||||||||||||||
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 | 185th | 25 | [50] |
Ralph Dale Earnhardt was an American professional stock car driver and racing team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series, most notably driving the No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. His aggressive driving style earned him the nicknames "the Intimidator", "the Man in Black" and "Ironhead"; after his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. joined the Cup Series circuit in 1999, Earnhardt was generally known by the retronyms Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Dale Sr. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history and was named as one of the NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers class in 1998.
Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. is an American professional stock car racing driver, team owner, and broadcaster. A third-generation driver, he is the son of the late 7-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt and relative to many former and current drivers in the NASCAR ranks. Since retiring from full-time competition after the 2017 season, he has competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro for his team, JR Motorsports.
Dale Arnold Jarrett is a former American race car driver and current racing commentator for NBC. He is best known for winning the Daytona 500 three times and winning the NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship in 1999. He is the son of 2-time Grand National Champion Ned Jarrett, younger brother of Glenn Jarrett, father of former driver Jason Jarrett, and cousin of Todd Jarrett. In 2007, Jarrett joined the ESPN/ABC broadcasting team as an announcer in select Nationwide Series races. In 2008, after retiring from driving following the 2008 Food City 500, he joined ESPN permanently as the lead racing analyst replacing Rusty Wallace. In 2015, Jarrett became a part of the NBC Sports Broadcasting Crew for NASCAR events. He was inducted in the 2014 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Casey Lee Atwood is an American former stock car racing driver. A former competitor in NASCAR competition, he is the youngest pole winner in Busch Series history, earning a pole start at the age of 17.
Shane Riley Hmiel is an American former racecar driver, who competed in all three of NASCAR's national series. Hmiel's controversial stock car career, marred by accidents from his aggressive driving style, ended in 2006 after he failed a third substance abuse test and was banned from competing in NASCAR for life. After rebuilding his career in open wheel racing, primarily in United States Auto Club sanctioned dirt track racing, Hmiel was paralyzed in a near fatal racing accident on October 9, 2010, in Terre Haute, Indiana. Prior to the accident, Hmiel had become the first driver to win the Hoosier Hundred, Rich Vogler Classic, and the Pat O'Connor Memorial, the three premier USAC midget-car races, in the same season.
David Andrew Stremme is an American professional stock car racing driver.
Chance 2 Motorsports is a former NASCAR racing team that was founded by Teresa Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2003. Although connected with Dale Earnhardt, Inc., the race team founded by Dale Earnhardt and run by Teresa Earnhardt after his death, the two were separate operations.
Trail Motorsports was a NASCAR team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, near Charlotte. The team was owned by Armando Fitz and Art Shelton, and was previously co-owned by Fitz's former wife Mimi. The team was known as the HighLine Performance Group until the end of the 2001 season, when they teamed up with Terry Bradshaw and formally created FitzBradshaw Racing. At the end of the 2004 season FBR announced that it was partnering with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, which gave them access to more technical and engineering support. In addition to that partnership they also switched manufacturers from Chevrolet to Dodge. The team also formed a partnership with Michael Waltrip Racing for the 2006 season. Bradshaw left the organization at the end of the 2006 season. The team changed its name to Trail Motorsports in early 2009 after Shelton came on board. The team fielded the No. 22 Dodge Charger for Johnny Borneman III in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, the No. 32 Chevrolet Silverado for Chase Austin in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and the No. 58 Chevrolet Impala driven by Jarit Johnson, younger brother of seven-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, in the Camping World East Series.
Timothy Fedewa is an American professional racing driver and spotter. He works for Team Penske as the spotter for Ryan Blaney's No. 12 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Loy Allen Jr. is a former professional NASCAR Winston Cup, Busch, and ARCA series race car driver, turned real estate developer and Embry-Riddle-trained commercial pilot. On February 12, 1994, he became the youngest and first rookie in NASCAR Winston Cup history to win the Daytona 500 pole.
Blaise Robert Alexander Jr. also known as BR Alexander was an American professional stock car racer from Montoursville, Pennsylvania. He began racing at the age of 12 in go-karts, winning the coveted World Karting Association East Regional championship in 1992. In 1995, he moved south to Mooresville, North Carolina, and drove in the ARCA Racing Series. Named ARCA's rookie of the year in 1996, Alexander was a regular driver in that series while also driving in both the NASCAR Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series.
Andrew Miles Hillenburg is an American former professional stock car racing driver and current team owner and track owner. His race team, Fast Track Racing, fields multiple cars in the ARCA Menards Series and formerly fielded entries in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He is credited with reviving the North Carolina Speedway, now known as Rockingham Speedway, after the track lost its NASCAR dates starting in 2005.
Innovative Motorsports (IMI) is a former NASCAR team. It was owned by George DeBidart and began racing in the Busch North Series in the mid-1990s, before moving to the Busch Series in 1998.
The 2002 NASCAR Busch Series began February 16 and ended November 16. Greg Biffle of Roush Racing was crowned champion.
Jeffrey Lynn Earnhardt is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 26 Toyota GR Supra for Sam Hunt Racing, and part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 67 Toyota Tundra for MBM Motorsports. He is the son of Kerry Earnhardt, grandson of Dale Earnhardt, and nephew of Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Braun Motorsports, formerly known as Braun Racing, was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team is based in Mooresville, North Carolina. Best known as one of the top independent Xfinity Series teams from 2003 to 2010, the team also made several starts in the Sprint Cup Series. The team was owned by Todd Braun, son of Braun Corporation founder Ralph Braun. The team formerly had alliances with Chip Ganassi Racing and Dale Earnhardt, Inc., and the team's operations also included former entries from ppc Racing and Akins Motorsports.
Bobby Dale Earnhardt is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 66 Toyota Camry for MBM Motorsports.
Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) is a museum in Mooresville, North Carolina. Formerly a race team founded by Dale Earnhardt and his wife, Teresa Earnhardt, it competed in the NASCAR Cup Series, the highest level of competition for professional stock car racing in the United States, from 1998 to 2009. Earnhardt was a seven-time Winston Cup champion who died in a crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Despite his ownership of the DEI racing team, Earnhardt never drove for his team in the Winston Cup; instead, he raced for his long-time mentor and backer Richard Childress at RCR. In the late-2000s, DEI suffered critical financial difficulties after drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip, and sponsors Anheuser-Busch, National Automotive Parts Association and United States Army left the team; DEI consequently merged with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2009, moving their equipment into the latter's shop, while the former's closed down. Chip Ganassi Racing's NASCAR operations was subsequently purchased by Trackhouse Racing Team in 2021.
The NASCAR operation of Chip Ganassi Racing was established in 1989 by Cuban-American businessman Felix Sabates. The team was known as SABCO Racing, formed after Sabates purchased an R&D team from Hendrick Motorsports. The team was renamed Team SABCO in 1996. In 2001, Ganassi bought 80% of the ownership interest in the then-two-car team to form Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates; the same year the team switched from Chevrolet to full-works Dodge and received a same partnership treatment as Penske Racing, Evernham Motorsports, Bill Davis Racing, Melling Racing and Petty Enterprises teams. In 2009, Ganassi partnered with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. owner Teresa Earnhardt to merge their NASCAR operations into Ganassi's shop and entered under the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates banner, while returning to Chevrolet equipment. The NASCAR team dropped the Earnhardt name in 2014, and Ganassi revealed that Teresa was never truly involved with the team. Rob Kauffman, chairman of the Race Team Alliance, purchased a stake in the team in 2015. The NASCAR program has fielded full-time entries for notable drivers including Kyle Petty, Joe Nemechek, Sterling Marlin, Jimmy Spencer, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jamie McMurray, Kyle Larson, Kurt Busch, and Ross Chastain. After already having his name removed from the team previously, at the end of the 2019 season, Sabates announced his retirement as a co-owner from the team, taking effect after the 2020 season.