Dale Earnhardt Jr. might be the face of the JR Motorsports team, handling stuff on or off the racetrack. However, it’s his sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, who is the anchoring presence behind the scenes.
Advertisement
Kelley assumed the role of general manager with JR Motorsports in 2001 and later became its co-owner and CEO. She oversees not just the company’s racing teams and management but also its other, rather expansive business interests.
Kelley’s role has also evolved and grown over the years, extending far beyond the obvious duties. In a recent discussion with Shannon Spake on NASCAR Daily, Kelley detailed the responsibilities she handles at JR Motorsports, ranging from managing sponsor relations to coordinating Dale Jr.’s various business engagements.
Although Kelley is not actively involved as a driver or team owner in Dale Jr.’s CARS Tour Series, she is deeply involved in the Late Model Series due to her ownership stake in JR Motorsports.
“It’s not just about Junior Motorsports; I help Dale manage a lot of his side of the business,” said Kelley, who then delved deeper into the role she plays with the CARS Tour.
“I have things on here like we have a meeting with an investor tomorrow for the CARS Tour and so I have questions, I’m working on that. I needed to order some books because I had a speaking engagement,” Kelley elaborated.
“I need to create a job description for a new position that we’re looking at for the CARS Tour… A lot of my time is spent on Dale’s relationships with High Rock and our Amazon, like our broadcast partners,” she added.
Kelley also underlined the competence of the JR Motorsports staff. From marketing and operations to sponsorships, the efficient team around her allows her to avoid becoming mired in minutiae.
She also mentioned her deep involvement in producing a documentary on Dale Earnhardt Sr., which is ready to be released on Amazon.
Documentary series on Earnhardt Sr. presents his personal life
Over the past year, Amazon has undertaken the production of the documentary titled Earnhardt. The four-part series will delve into the personal and familial layers of Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s life, providing previously undisclosed insights.
In 2007, Ryan McGee released a documentary called Dale, which was highly acclaimed for its portrayal of The Intimidator’s race persona. Junior views the new series as a perfect complement to the earlier film. While Dale showcased his father’s presence on the racetrack, Earnhardt would explore his life away from the public gaze.
Junior, on an episode of Dale Jr. Download, described that the two series furnish a comprehensive portrait of the racing legend. Dale Jr. discovered several pieces of footage within the series that he was previously unaware of, describing the experience of viewing them as an emotional odyssey.
“There’s some stuff of my childhood there. Of us as kids that I just forgot about or don’t remember being available,” he added.
The documentary features rare footage of Earnhardt Sr. with his father, Ralph Earnhardt. Previously, Junior possessed only a brief interview clip of Ralph recorded in Charlotte. He was unaware of any additional footage.
