For years, the relationship between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, has been a source of public curiosity. After Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s death at the 2001 Daytona 500, Teresa inherited control of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., which included major decisions about business direction, branding, and ownership. Dale Jr. often expressed frustration over being sidelined in those decisions, especially when he asked for majority ownership to steer the company in his father’s legacy after his passing. Since then, their relationship has soured over legal battles, until recently, when Dale Jr recalled a chapter from his childhood that involved Teresa, but not with the similar sentiment he sees her now.

The current business disputes between them have not just been about money or legacy. They shaped Dale Jr.’s emotional world growing up with Teresa Earnhart in a stepmother role. Publicly, he has said the relationship “ain’t a bed of roses.” But before these business disputes started between the two, there were dinner table disagreements.

Why young Dale Jr hated Teresa Earnhardt

In the latest episode of the Bless Your ‘Hardt podcast, Dale Jr. recently revealed a story about being served chicken pot pie by Teresa Earnhardt in his childhood. He admitted that at the time he “I hated her for it,” saying, “I look at it now and wonder why I didn’t want to eat that … she put it in front of me and I refused to eat it.” To a child, this felt like punishment or control. But Dale Jr realized the caring side of it, as he realized that Teresa was trying simply to feed him something nutritious, vegetables included.

He then described a specific instance, “One time Teresa brought me a chicken pot pie and left the room. I chewed the whole thing, spit it back on the plate, and made gagging noises pretending to puke like a dog. I thought she would come in and realize I had vomited it up.” These moments go beyond food. They reflect what Dale Jr. calls his “problem child years.”

He followed up that memory with self-critique. “Of course, I didn’t throw it up … I had just eaten the whole thing! That was so dumb.” These were the times when his teenage stubbornness and resentment toward authority were at full throttle. Dale Jr. went on to contrast that past with his perspective now on Teresa Earnhardt. “Now that I’m on the other side of it, I see she was just trying to get something in my belly.” He acknowledged that what felt like spite or coercion was, in Teresa’s frame, caring and parenting.

Dale Jr.’s revelations show that the phrase “I hated her…” carried far more than childish frustration. It reflected how he experienced Teresa’s authority in both home and business. The food battles he described mirror the later DEI disputes, from ownership demands to feeling excluded from his father’s legacy. By linking those small acts of rebellion to larger rifts, Dale Jr. illustrated how deeply personal history fueled public conflicts.

Dale Jr.’s candor suggests he is reaching peace with a relationship that shaped much of his career and legacy. While Teresa has rarely spoken publicly in recent years, her role in both his upbringing and DEI’s trajectory remains undeniable. For NASCAR history, these anecdotes humanize one of its most famous figures, showing how family tensions influenced business choices.

Dale Jr recalls another mischievous story

Even the most celebrated names in NASCAR carry childhood stories of mischief. And Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently opened up about one of his. In a candid exchange with his wife, Amy, Dale Jr. confessed to trying his hand at forgery during his school years. Not on contracts or checks, but on a report card. With his father’s famous signature readily available everywhere, he thought the scheme might work for him.

He admitted that in the pre-digital 1980s, his youthful confidence in neat handwriting seemed like enough to fool authority figures. “I thought I was going to get it done,” he said, recalling how he even enlisted the help of his sister, Kelley, in the plan. But the result was inevitable. Dale and Teresa Earnhardt eventually knew. “They can tell by the look on your face. They can tell when you’re lying,” Jr. reflected with a laugh.

Stories like these echo the same rebellious streak that ultimately led his father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., to send him to military school as a teenager. Dale Jr. has spoken before about those years, admitting that he often tested boundaries and lacked discipline. The failed forgery attempt is just another example of how, long before his NASCAR fame, his childhood antics revealed a boy learning lessons the hard way.

As Dale Jr. continues sharing such anecdotes on his podcast and beyond, they offer fans a window into the ordinary experiences behind an extraordinary career. Whether it is a failed report card forgery or tales from his racing youth, these stories build on his reputation not only as a racing legend but also as a storyteller who bridges the gap between fame and everyday life.