Well, we all know who Mr. NASCAR is. Despite it being 8 years since Dale Earnhardt Jr. hung up his firesuit, he remains the most popular driver in the sport. Yes, Chase Elliott was voted the Most Popular Driver for the 7th time in 2024, but that category only counts active drivers. Dale Jr. still commands love and respect among diverse fans. But as they go to great lengths for a chance to communicate with him, so does Dale Jr.

When Amy Earnhardt started dating Dale Jr. around 2009, she knew what she was signing up for. That was the glamorous world of NASCAR with a constant spotlight on her family. Even amidst that glitzy life, however, Amy has gleaned some heartwarming moments – one of which she shared recently.

When Dale Jr. dazzled Amy

Well, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s fame knows no bounds. There are many reasons for it; from being the son of legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr. to portraying the connection between old-school and modern-day NASCAR and having a charming All-American boy personality with a hint of mischievousness, Dale Jr. packs a lot for fans.

The NASCAR fanbase adores him even though he never won a Cup Series championship, comparable to Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks or Miami Dolphins Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino. Hence, when a fan gets lucky enough to witness Dale Jr. in person, they might bind that moment in a photo frame for the rest of their lives. Sometimes, however, fans are unable to express fully how much they are fond of him. Even then, Dale Jr. does not let them down.

Such a situation happened when Dale Jr‘s wife Amy Earnhardt and their children, Isla and Nicole, were present. In a recent ‘Bless Your Hardt’ episode, Amy recalled meeting a deaf and dumb fan: “We’re at a restaurant for dinner, and this gentleman happens to notice Dale. He’s deaf…but he is very, in an animated way, showing he shows he knows who Dale is. He’s doing the race car hands, pointing at the bartender…He was very excited, it was very cute. He sits down… he kind of keeps glancing over at Dale. At one point, Dale was like, ‘Let’s buy his dinner.’ And so, of course, he comes over and he wants to say thank you, the girls…he’s teaching them how to say I love you.” But both the fan and Amy were flabbergasted about what happened next.

Amy Earnhardt continued, “I say ‘Thank you’, that’s the only thing I remember from school. I turn to Dale and I think, he’s just gonna do that wave-off. And he starts doing this whole thing, and I’m like, ‘Whoa!’ He had told him to have a nice day in sign language.” Dale Jr. then acted out how to say that important phrase in sign language. It was a moment that truly embodied why people love Dale Jr., and the backstory behind knowing sign language is also very special.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. unraveled the story behind his hidden talent: “Back in the 90s, I was racing at Myrtle Beach Speedway. And one of the fans that came every single weekend was deaf and brought me a signbook. He was telling me, ‘Man, I would like it if you would learn a couple of signs so we could communicate.’ And I thought, ‘Man, of course.’ And I thought I would try to say ‘Have a nice day.'”

The dedication that Dale Jr. has to his fans is truly remarkable. Yet sometimes, he rebukes them for taking questionable stances.

Urging fans to take a deeper perspective

As Amy Earnhardt recalled, Dale Jr tries to connect with fans in every way he can. But that does not always have to be sugarcoated, as Dale Jr is respected for his honest, original opinions. He delivered such an opinion after Joey Logano‘s controversial comments at Talladega. In the April 2025 race, the Team Penske driver lost a Stage 2 victory to Bubba Wallace, apparently due to his teammate’s actions.

Team Penske #2 Austin Cindric broke the Ford line and allowed Wallace to get in. That led to a stream of expletive-laden comments on Logano’s radio, as he said: “Way to go, you dumb f—. Way to f—— go. What a stupid s—. GOD. He just gave it to him. Gave a Toyota the stage win. Nice job. Way to go. What a dumba–.” There was a huge backlash against Logano, and fans were glad about his misfortunes. Austin Cindric won that race while Logano landed a race penalty after a top-5 finish. However, some of the sport’s veterans urged fans to look deeper than just the surface.

Kelly Crandall said, “We all love the radio chatter, and it adds to the event. But we all need to understand that it’s the heat of the moment, and those drivers are in a bubble and only see their point of view. So, don’t take it too seriously.” Dale Earnhardt Jr. concurred with this statement: “So true. We get in those cars and there ain’t no one and no time to second-guess the next thing that comes out. And what’s the point of saying it unless that button is pushed?”

No matter a positive or negative verdict, Dale Jr. always offers an honest opinion to fans. That is how his popularity rises even more, as it just did with Amy’s heartwarming story.