The Earnhardt name is once again going to echo through NASCAR’s ranks. Nearly a decade after Dale Earnhardt Jr. hung up his Cup Series helmet in 2017, another member of the Earnhardt family is ready to take the wheel full-time. Bobby Dale Earnhardt, grandson of the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. and son of former driver and Senior’s elder son Kerry Earnhardt, has announced that he will compete full-time in the 2026 ARCA Menards Series with Rise Motorsports.
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The 38-year-old is no stranger to ARCA competition. He previously made five starts in the series, three starts in 2017, and returned for two more in 2025, while also running seven races in NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Xfinity) between 2017 and 2019. But 2026 will be his first full-time crack at the junior ranks.
Bobby’s father, Kerry Earnhardt, carried the torch from his legendary father during his own career, competing across NASCAR’s national series in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Kerry, Dale Sr.’s eldest son from his first marriage to Latane Brown, also competed part-time in the Cup Series in the early 2000s.
After Dale Sr. and Latane divorced following a short marriage, Senior went on to have three more children with his next two wives, Brenda Jackson and Teresa Houston.
Announcing the news on X, Bobby wrote, ” I’m excited and truly humbled to share that I’ll be racing full-time with @risemotorsports in the 2026 @ARCA_Racing Series. This is a huge opportunity for me, and I’m thankful for God’s direction throughout the process of making this happen. I want to give a big thank you to everyone at Rise Motorsports.”
“The work this team has already put in, the belief they’ve shown in me, and the vision they have for the upcoming season mean a lot. I’m proud to be a part of what they’re building. To all the partners, supporters, and fans who’ve stuck by me, your encouragement has played a big part in keeping this journey moving forward. I’m grateful for every message, every prayer, and every bit of support along the way. I’m looking forward to getting to work and giving everything I’ve got in 2026 .”
While Bobby’s best finish in 2025 was P26 at Kansas Speedway, his career-best came back in 2017 at Elko Speedway, where he crossed the start/finish line in P19. Rise Motorsports itself is no stranger to solid performances, having bagged a seventh-place finish at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds this past season with Chase Howard.
Carrying a name that has defined generations of American motorsport, Bobby Dale Earnhardt now has the chance to write his own chapter in the Earnhardt story next year.
