Not many drivers have been as popular off the track as Dale Earnhardt Jr. One of the major reasons behind this is his adventurous style of living and amazing story-telling ability. Recently, he walked down memory lane and shared the unforgettable experience of his first-ever job.

There is no doubt that Junior would be immensely grateful for belonging to the legendary Earnhardt family. While there were perks to it, Dale Earnhardt Sr ensured Dale Jr worked hard to earn them. One such story links him to the Alabama gang in the past.

Dale Earnhardt Jr gets candid about his first-ever job with the 2009 International Motorsports Hall of Famer

With his strong family background, Dale Earnhardt Jr was fortunate to have a strong network of people. One such connection through his father Dale Sr helped him land a job at Kenny Allison’s shop. Kenny is the son of former NASCAR driver Donnie Allison’s son. Interestingly, Donnie is well-known for being part of the great ‘Alabama Gang’.

A group of NASCAR drivers including Donnie Allison, Bobby Allison, Red Farmer, and Jimmy Means set up shop and operated out of Alabama. From there on, they were called the Alabama gang, and the legacy was passed on to their offspring.

Recently, speaking with Donnie Allison on his podcast “The Dale Jr Download”, Dale Jr discussed his younger days. He said, “I was 16 years old and got a job working at Kenny Allison’s shop which is your son and there were two twin boys Ronald, McDonald. They built at the time Legends Cars [Racing]. They were the only manufacturer of Legends Cars. At the time Legends cars had only been around maybe five years or less.”

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The former Hendrick Motorsports driver then explained how he learned and enjoyed things back then. He said, “I went over there and started working on things with Kenny and helping he was just teaching me about how to use a torch and how to clean parts and how to weld. In the back of the shop they actually built Davey’s [Allison] Cup cars for Robert Yates and that was pretty incredible to go back there and see.”

Through this experience, he not only gained knowledge at a young age but got very close to Donnie Allison’s sons. Speaking about it, he said, “I got to know Kenny and Ronald [and] McDonald. I love them I still have my paycheck stubs and a printout of my first paychecks from them. Kenny gave it to me in a frame. It wasn’t much but it was enough it was more than I ever made.” Surely, Junior keeps this memory close to his heart. But how was he as an employee in his early days? Donnie Allison gives an idea about it.

Donnie Allison shares the story behind Dale Earnhardt Jr landing his job at the Alabama Gang shop

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It is no secret that Dale Earnhardt Sr was great friends with the Alabama Gang. Courtesy of his relationship, he asked Kenny Allison if he could offer Dale Earnhardt Jr a job back then. To this, Allison accepted the request and took Junior in. Despite landing the job with not much struggle, Junior put sincere efforts into it.

When asked Donnie Allison about how Dale Jr was as an employee, he said, “I think he did alright. Kenny, he talks about him a little bit. Of course, Kenny talks about all of them but it was really unique the way that all transpired.”

To date, Junior has good connections with the Alabama Gang, keeping his father’s past relationships strong and alive. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if he is involved in starting a new venture with them in the near future.

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