Fans haven’t seen Dale Earnhardt Jr. race much outside of NASCAR. That could change soon. The stock-car racing icon has received an offer to get into professional drag racing. The invite has come from Antron Brown, a four-time NHRA champion, who extended it while speaking to Dale’s sister Kelley Earnhardt on her podcast.
Advertisement
Brown, the first African-American champion in drag racing, had won the Top Fuel Dragster championship in 2012, 2015, 2016, and 2024. He was discussing the state of sponsorships in the NHRA with Kelley when he offered the seat to Junior.
“You need to talk to your brother. Tell him I got a seat for him. Let’s go, baby! Let’s go,” said Brown.
Antron is the owner of AB Motorsports, the Top Fuel team where he drives too. So, his offer is as real as it gets. Kelley, however, wasn’t sure if Dale Jr. would be up for it. Driving straight, after all, is not in the oval-track ace’s nature.
“I don’t know about that. He doesn’t race in the superspeedways for a reason. I don’t know if he is gonna think about going straight or not,” said Kelley.
What NASCAR driver would you like to see behind the wheel at a drag race? @EarnhardtKelley | @AntronBrown pic.twitter.com/p97gNQH451
— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) January 9, 2025
Dale Jr. took part in IROC in 1999 and 2000. In 2001, he raced in IMSA’s marquee event, the Rolex 24, teaming up with his dad, Dale Earnhardt Sr. In 2022 and 2023, he made appearances in the CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour. Those are his only pursuits outside of NASCAR.
It remains to be seen whether the Pied Piper of Daytona would be interested in the drag-racing offer that has come his way. Kelley can probably give it a shot, though.
When Kelley was offered to try out drag racing
Before becoming the influential businesswoman that she is now, Kelley was keen on being a race car driver. She raced late models as a teenager and was often spotted at race tracks even when she wasn’t behind the wheel. Interestingly, she got an offer to drive in NHRA when she was 27.
She narrated the story to Brown: “We got out to Phoenix, and Fred [Wagenhals] is like, ‘We want to get you into John Force’s car, try you out in a few drag races. I was like, ‘Oh, god. This is crazy’. I felt very claustrophobic in that car. They were like you could do this, but funny little fact… I was expecting my first child.”
Kelley admitted she had used that excuse to not try drag racing. She stuck to her business-oriented role with Action Performance. Her daughter, Karsyn Elledgem, was born on September 18, 2000.
