Dale Earnhardt wasn’t just a titan on the NASCAR track; he was also a magnet for a massive fan following. In his time, fans were glued to their screens or, for those without the luxury of television, huddled around radios, captivated by his every race and win.
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He won a record-tying 7 NASCAR championships, took the wheel in 676 NASCAR Cup Series races, and celebrated victory 76 times, securing a spot as the seventh all-time race winner in NASCAR history.
His crowning achievement was winning the 1998 Daytona 500. Yet, for all his professional highs, Earnhardt’s personal life was no less than a typical TV serial, marked by three marriages.
At just 17, Earnhardt tied the knot for the first time with Latane Brown in 1968. The marriage brought a son, Kerry, into the world the following year but faltered soon after, ending in divorce by 1970. Latane remarried Jack Key and had more children, living until 2021.
Earnhardt’s second venture into wedlock was with Brenda Gee Jackson, daughter of the renowned NASCAR car builder Robert Gee. The marriage saw the births of Kelly Earnhardt in 1972 and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 1974. However, this marital bliss was again short-lived, and they divorced shortly after Dale Jr.’s arrival.
Following a devastating house fire that left Brenda, Kelley, and Dale Jr. without a home, Brenda returned to Virginia. She remarried in 1985 to Willie Jackson, a Norfolk firefighter, and eventually, they resettled in North Carolina to join Kelley and Dale at JR Motorsports. Tragically, Brenda passed away in 2019 after a courageous fight with cancer.
Earnhardt’s third and final marriage was to Teresa Houston, the niece of Busch Series racer Tommy Houston, in 1982. Their marriage produced a daughter, Taylor Nicole Earnhardt, in 1988.
Teresa later played an important role at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI), steering the company to Busch Series championships in 1998 and 1999 and Craftsman Truck Series victories in 1996 and 1998.
Teresa Earnhardt’s strained relationship with Earnhardt’s children
Following Earnhardt’s death in 2001, revelations surfaced about the frosty relationship between Teresa Earnhardt and her stepsons, Kerry Earnhardt, and Earnhardt Jr.
Tensions peaked in May 2007 when Dale Jr. declared he wouldn’t return to Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) for the 2008 season after failing to reach an agreement that would benefit him and his three siblings, who sought equal stakes in the family business.
Teresa’s relationship with Earnhardt’s other children further soured when she legally challenged Kerry’s use of the family name for a business initiative. The friction extended to the iconic “No. 8,” as Teresa, holding the trademark rights through DEI, blocked its use by Dale Jr. until recently.
It wasn’t until June 3 of this year, after the deadline for renewal fees passed, that Dale Jr. moved to claim the number 8 trademark, a number profoundly linked with his father.
Today, Teresa remains at the helm of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. as President and CEO, overseeing its operations including a showroom and museum located in Mooresville, North Carolina, preserving the legacy of the racing legend.
