416 - Jeffrey Earnhardt - Paving My Own Way

On this episode of the Dale Jr. Download, it’s an Earnhardt family reunion as Dale Earnhardt Jr. is joined in the Bojangles Studio by his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller and their nephew Jeffrey Earnhardt. Jeffrey made headlines in the stock car racing world last April when he piloted the Richard Childress No. 3 that his grandfather Dale made famous to a second-place finish in the Xfinity race at Talladega. The interview discusses his time spent in the NASCAR ranks over the last 16 years and the path that has led him to be in a full-time ride in the Xfinity Series, driving the No. 44 Chevy entry for Alpha Prime Racing. While he is an Earnhardt, Jeffrey has made it a point to earn his opportunities in racing based on hard work and merit, not his namesake. As a result, he’s followed a winding, sometimes turbulent road through the motorsports world. He provides great insight to listeners on the differences between top-dollar teams and smaller operations in NASCAR, and what he’s learned from his time spent with both. The Earnhardt family dynamic is also a topic of discussion, as well as Jeffrey’s memories of Dale Sr. and his relationship with his father Kerry.