What to Expect from the Earnhardt Documentary Series

Yahoo

14-05-2025

Some drivers won more races. Some drivers won more Daytona 500s. Some drivers led more laps.
But it can be argued that no NASCAR driver reached the peaks of fan love and adoration owned by Dale Earnhardt Sr., a seven-time Cup Series champion who rode in from a small mill town and became an American idol and icon.
Earnhardt's life and times will be examined in 'Earnhardt,' a four-part documentary series scheduled for Amazon Prime beginning May 22. Although Earnhardt's extraordinary career and his impact on auto racing both in life and death have been picked apart by numerous media outlets, the producers of 'Earnhardt' promise a new and more penetrating look.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister, Kelly Earnhardt Miller, helped bring the series to life. Earnhardt's widow, Teresa, who has had a difficult relationship with her stepchildren, is among those interviewed.
What was it about Earnhardt that lifted him to a level of extreme superstardom not often reached by athletes?
'He tapped into the thing that made him become like a superhero to a lot of people,' said Earnhardt Jr. 'He was like Elvis, you know, with the fandom. He was beyond this world to a lot of people.
'He was a John Wayne figure who just kind of transcended the man and the person that we knew. Fans of his thought he was indestructible and bulletproof and couldn't do anything wrong. He was this larger-than-life otherworldly thing. And, so, they worshipped him. You know, it was insane.'
Earnhardt's popularity led to massive T-shirt and souvenir sales, to fans having his image tattooed on their bodies and to at least one individual requesting that Earnhardt drive with his ashes in the car.
Earnhardt Jr. said he thought he had a firm grasp on his father's place in the sport during the elder Earnhardt's driving career. 'But I didn't, honestly, know how big an impact he had until he passed away,' he said. 'In our little industry, he was massive, but, when he passed away … people were talking about him that I never even thought about them knowing who he was.'
Earnhardt Jr. and Kelly grew up with a father who also was a sports hero, and they have talked often over the years about their childhoods being less than perfect and how their relationship with their dad wasn't always peaches and cream.
'We knew him as a real person who was a good dad and a tough dad and not so good dad sometimes—you know, with all these human imperfections,' Earnhardt Jr. said. 'But there was this large group of people who thought he was godlike and just perfect. I think that contrast will come through in the show.'
Miller said her three children gained insight into their grandfather from watching the series.
'My kids really didn't understand the relationship that I had with my dad,' she said. 'You can talk about people all day long and share stories, but until they see something in the real, when I see my dad's mannerisms and when I see my dad speak, so much more comes back for me.'
The series includes interviews with Kyle Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Richard Childress, Martha Earnhardt (Dale's mother), Jeff Gordon, and many others.