It’s one thing to be a polarizing figure in NASCAR, be it in rivalries or on track, but it’s another thing to be the villain of the garage. But when it comes to Teresa Earnhardt, the long-standing tension did not just involve checkered flags, but courtrooms, contracts, and complicated family drama. Following the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. in 2001, it was widely expected that Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI), which he built, would continue to thrive under the leadership of his widow, Teresa, but that did not happen. Things seemed to improve, and when Teresa released her grip from the No. 8, fans thought things were getting better. But now, as the Earnhardt documentary comes out, fans aren’t happy with her.

While Dale Jr. still grapples with losing his father and navigating through his legacy over the years, new revelations reveal the extent of troubles Dale and his sister Kelley faced, and one incident stood out.

For Dale Jr., his father was everything. “All I ever wanted was to be around him,” he revealed. But when that fateful crash in Daytona stole his father from him, the only solace for Junior was to visit his father’s grave. Buried in a mausoleum in Mooresville, North Carolina, Junior could not have that connection with his father even in death. Why? Well, as per the siblings, the owner of the land, Teresa Earnhardt, has made it clear they’re not welcome. Not to pay respects. Not to visit.

Kelley Earnhardt Miller went on to reveal the extent in keeping them out. “She’s so extreme that we might get arrested.” The siblings couldn’t visit their father, neither did they have any hand in picking out the gravesite, or going through childhood possessions or mementos. The Earnhardt children didn’t just lose their father, they lost such an important connection with him. For Dale Jr., the young boy who had seen his hero driving the No. 3 car, the only option was sneaking to the gravesite with ‘liquid courage’.

And it wouldn’t be the last time Teresa would keep them from having a part in their father’s legacy. Talking about their father’s Deerhead Shop, Junior once recalled a lot of important things being kept in there: right from race suits to his kids’ military uniforms. But no one could visit it, as he revealed, “Apparently, the day Dad died, they locked the doors, and nobody has been in there since. I believe that no one has probably set foot in there, and Teresa’s made absolutely sure that that’s the case.” 

With the Washington Post story about the gravesite making waves, journalist Jeff Gluck posted about it on X, saying, “One thing in this story: Dale Jr. and Kelley are not welcome to visit Dale Sr.’s gravesite, which is on property owned by Teresa. “She’s so extreme that we might get arrested,” Kelley is quoted as saying.”

After the post was made, several fans joined in with their earlier hatred for Teresa, which many thought would have been suppressed due to no recent controversies, but they were all proved wrong.

Fan Backlash Intensifies After Latest Revelations Made on Teresa Earnhardt

Fans found it deeply disrespectful, as some took to social media to criticize Teresa. “It’s not just a piece of land — it’s a place of remembrance, healing, and honor,” one fan wrote on social media. Even though Dale Jr. tried to visit it once, he did so over two decades ago, taking some time to sit and think.

The sentiment resonated across the NASCAR community as many thought of it to be another example of Teresa prioritizing control and exclusivity over compassion and family unity. “Keeping his kids away isn’t protecting his memory — it’s erasing part of it.” And over the years, things have just deteriorated between Teresa and all three of the Earnhardt kids. She filed a lawsuit against Kerry Earnhardt to keep him from using the ‘Earnhardt’ name in his house, saying it damaged the brand. “It’s our name, too. We were born with it!” Kelley fought. Dale Jr. capped it off when he once said, “We don’t want to fight in public. But sometimes, we don’t have a choice.” 

Teresa has also been derisively called the “wicked witch of the south” on various social media platforms by fans who portrayed their frustration over the hatred that piled up on Teresa since her refusal to give Dale Jr. majority ownership of DEI. And in the recent incident, one fan commented, “There aren’t enough curse words in the English language to describe how awful a person Teresa is.” More importantly, it was a time when Junior and Senior were growing into their relationship, as Kelley revealed. “They were just developing this relationship. To have that pulled out from under him, to have it taken away, was a second tragedy.”

That’s not all. “She probably still blames Dale for leaving DEI even though she ran it into the ground,” commented another fan, as without Dale Jr.’s guidance, the performance of the company collapsed. Sponsors like Budweiser and Menards left with Junior and key personnel, also started retiring without Junior on the team. Finally, DEI had to merge with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2009 to stay afloat as the Dale Sr. legacy seemed to be fading away because of Teresa’s ego and poor leadership. Going back and hearing what Teresa had to say when Junior left feels like a catastrophe in the making. She had said, “If Dale Jr. doesn’t want to stick around here, we’ll make another Dale Jr.”

The backlash has been swift and emotional, with renewed criticism over Teresa’s absence from the public eye, and also offering little to no support to Junior in his endeavors. In the eyes of many fans, Teresa’s actions only deepened the divide between herself and the family and legacy that her late husband built with blood, sweat, and tears.