“Fans of his thought he was indestructible and bulletproof and couldn’t do anything wrong.” Dale Earnhardt Jr recently highlighted how immortal his father’s image is. Indeed, Dale Sr or the legendary ‘Intimidator’ garnered such a hallowed status due to his track exploits. From putting up iconic moments like ‘Pass in the Grass’ to clinching 7 Cup Series championships, Dale Sr achieved extraordinary milestones. But at the end of the day, he was a human being, right?
That is what Dale Earnhardt Jr and Kelley Earnhardt-Miller want the world to know. Behind that glamorous curtain of glory and picture-perfect race finishes lies a human like any other. Amazon Prime recently strove to show that human side, to the contentment of Dale Jr and his sister.
Dale Earnhardt Jr shows why this time it is more real
In 2007, ‘Dale’ was released -written by Ryan McGee and directed by Rory Kapf, it covered the legendary ‘Intimidator’s life. However, ‘Earnhardt,’ a new four-part documentary produced by Imagine Entertainment and legendary filmmaker Ron Howard, can make a greater case. Amazon intends to bring that story to Prime Video on May 22nd, just days before the company’s first NASCAR broadcast at the Coca-Cola 600. Dale Jr, who will be part of the three-man broadcast, spoke highly of Amazon’s new portrayal of his father. The primary reason lies in a flipped narrative. Where the 2007 documentary emphasized Dale Earnhardt the competitor with a glimpse into his personal life, the 2025 documentary stresses his personal life while brushing with the competitor.
In a recent interview with journalist Matt Weaver, Dale Earnhardt Jr highlighted the key differences between the two documentaries. ‘Dale’, which was released 18 years ago, is more glorious: “That was more about celebrating the seven championships and his larger-than-life personality, right? It was a great advertisement for how awesome he was as a racer.” However, ‘Earnhardt’ touches more upon the flawed, raw human that Dale Sr was, just like any other person. Dale Jr continued, “This is the only documentary that tells the human side of Dad. It celebrates the man on the race track, for sure, but also celebrates the person he was, for better or worse.”
Dale Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt-Miller have a tremendous amount of reverence for the 2007 ‘Dale’ documentary but the ‘Earnhardt’ Prime Video film is a different, authentic and transparent tale they agree could have only been made with time and perspective. https://t.co/NIJf202f4h
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) May 14, 2025
For example, the new documentary leans heavily into Dale Sr‘s relationship with Kelley. It was occasionally strained even up to the point of his passing. Kelley Earnhardt Miller covered the ups and downs of her relationship with her father in his 2020 book, ‘Drive’. So the JR Motorsports co-owner was all in for Amazon Prime’s raw depiction: “Growing up, our dad was larger-than-life to us, and I’ve heard this saying throughout my life, ‘no one wants to hear anything bad about their hero’ but as we’ve matured, grown up, and had our own relationship with our family, that’s just part of life.”
As Amazon Prime breaks new ground in unraveling Dale Sr’s story, it is also preparing for its NASCAR debut. And Dale Earnhardt Jr is throwing his weight behind this venture.
Reassuring fans of the change
Since the first time NASCAR emerged, fans have been used to watching races in certain ways. They either attended the events in person or tuned into cable TV. For the first time, the sport is undergoing a major shift with Amazon Prime. The streaming giant will first come to Charlotte Motor Speedway. Then it will move on to Nashville Superspeedway, Michigan International Speedway, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, and Pocono Raceway. Amazon will showcase all five Cup Series races exclusively on a streaming service for the first time in NASCAR history. After a one-year absence, Dale Earnhardt Jr will be part of this show. He will join the broadcast booth alongside lap-by-lap announcer Adam Alexander and former crew chief Steve Letarte.
But before starting his booth duties, Dale Earnhardt Jr is executing another duty. That is the reassurance to the fans of a smooth change in watching the races. “I don’t know that it’s going to be that big of a transition (for fans)…It’ll probably happen pretty seamlessly and quick…At the same time, there will be a lot of things that are very traditional – a three-man booth, the faces you may see. There will be some things that will be expected, but there will be some new technology to show some data and information for our fans that are watching.” He added, “I’m excited… Amazon will bring some really cool ideas and ways of approaching the sport that will be better. I’m grateful to be a part of that team.”
Clearly, Dale Earnhardt Jr is invested in all of Amazon Prime’s activities for NASCAR this season. Let us see how the audience receives Dale Sr’s new documentary.
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