‘A motorsports athlete’s first-ever vehicle’ seems like the title for a good story, right? When that athlete is Dale Earnhardt Jr., the story is a spicy thriller. NASCAR’s most popular icon already owns an eclectic car collection. From a weathered 1948 Chevy TK Pickup to a custom-built 1972 Chevy Camaro, each vehicle in his collection holds sentimental value for him. But none of them is as valuable as the one he got from his father as a gift.

Junior’s father, Dale Earnhardt, was known to create a ruckus on the racetrack. The Intimidator’s aggressive tactics earned him many rivals and huge popularity. Yet that may be why he wanted to steer his son away from trouble when he took the wheel. However, that is not at all how things panned out.

Dale Jr. was a bit of a rabble-rouser

The twin-time Daytona 500 winner’s love for cars is boundless. Dale Jr.’s eclectic car collection also includes a ‘Racecar Graveyard’ in the backwoods of Dirty Mo Acres, North Carolina. It features bruised and battered machinery from all three NASCAR national series. Dale Jr.’s love for all things old and nostalgic is visible here.

Hence, his love for his very first truck would carry immense value for him. After getting his driver’s license at 16 years of age, Dale Earnhardt Jr. acquired the 1991 Chevrolet S10 extended cab truck. Within three months, his rowdy youth was visible. He drove it off the road, hit a driveway culvert, and flipped the truck six or seven times. With the insurance damages, Dale Jr. got the very same truck.

That should tell you how attached Dale Earnhardt Jr. was to that vehicle. After all, it was Dale Earnhardt’s very first automotive gift to him. In a recent episode of ‘Circle Country’, Dale Jr recalled how his father did not want him to mess up: “This was my first vehicle… kind of like this thing that reminds you where you were. I appreciated my dad’s vision, not to put me in anything that was gonna go super fast… anything that I was gonna get myself in trouble in.” Yet, as young people go, Dale Jr. did something opposite. “You get your license, you’re 16, you really don’t know how to drive. You think you do, but you’re gonna run off in the ditch, you’re gonna do stupid stuff, and this thing could take a beating.” He added, “I got four speeding tickets between 16 and 18.“

Well, those speeding tickets were not surprising, considering his flipping debacle. Nevertheless, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s bond with this Chevrolet model grew stronger over time. He continued, “It wasn’t like love at first sight. It showed up in the driveway, and it was all I needed… It was like, that’ll get me where I wanna go. And I ended up falling in love with it…I’d park this truck in the field and lay in the bed of it, look up at the stars, I mean. The cliche things that you see people do on TV commercials with cars, I did it with this truck. Me and this truck, we were a team…It was dependable, I fixed everything that went wrong with it.” The current model of S10, which Dale Jr. owns, was restored by NASCAR Hall of Famer crew chief Ray Evernham.

What is more? Dale Jr. also has memories of his dating life in the S10!

A car of love

Well, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s love story is one to go down in NASCAR’s history. Junior met with Amy Reimann in 2009 and went public with their relationship in 2011. The former Hendrick Motorsports driver was busy with his Cup Series career, but that did not stop him from building his love story. In 2016, on New Year’s Eve, the two lovebirds exchanged wedding rings and soon after, welcomed two adorable children. Yet before this heartwarming chapter of his life unfolded, Dale Jr. did have a happening dating life. Unlike Amy, who was previously married to her college sweetheart Tommy Cook, Dale Jr. was not married before. However, his beloved 1991 Chevrolet S10 did grant him some teenage fun time.

Cupid’s arrow hit Dale Jr. first in the car, which his father had gifted him. That is what the 50-year-old veteran revealed to Kyle Petty recently. The latter asked, “First date in a truck like this?” Junior responded, “Yeah, first time I tried to take a girl out. I tried to take a girl out on a date. It was probably a pretty bad date. A couple of first kisses, things like that. Some of those things.” Petty then chipped in to make Junior feel less alone about his teenage adventures: “I feel that way about a motorcycle, not about a car.” Clearly, Dale Jr’s love life sprang to life long before he met his future wife Amy Earnhardt. Does she have something to say about this?

Nonetheless, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s bond to his old truck is unmistakable. Like him, his huge fan base must also cherish this piece of automotive memorabilia from the past.