Throwback: Dale Earnhardt Shares a Loving Moment With His Mother on Stage

On Christmas Day, tragedy struck the Earnhardt family as matriarch Martha Earnhardt passed away. Martha was the mother of Dale, Randy, Danny, Cathy, and Kaye. Now, she is survived by Cathy and Kaye, as well as her grandchildren, including Dale Earnhardt Jr and Kelley Earnhardt.

In a beautiful tribute to her grandmother, Kelley wrote, “I imagine this exact escort last night for my mamaw at the stairs to Heaven. Except she held the hand of Jesus and walked into the arms of my dad, Randy, Danny and Papaw“. This was a reference to a clip of Dale Sr escorting Martha ahead of his father’s 1997 International Motorsports Hall of Fame induction.

When Dale Sr went up to the stage, he called his mother to accept the award on behalf of the late Ralph Earnhardt. As she walked up to the stage, Dale Sr escorted her to the podium for her speech. However, she elected to switch things up by getting the rest of her children on the stage and introducing them.

The indelible legacy of the Earnhardt family in NASCAR

Without a doubt, the family has been deeply involved in the NASCAR scene. Dale Earnhardt himself is a 7-time Cup Series champion, tying with fellow legend, Richard Petty. His son, Dale Earnhardt Jr has also been fairly successful in his NASCAR career.

While Dale Jr has not won a Cup title, he does boast of 26 Cup Series wins in his career. This also includes two Daytona 500 wins, an All-Star sprint race win in 2000, two Busch Clash wins, and more. In addition to those impressive statistics, Dale Jr has four back-to-back wins at the Talladega Superspeedway. Those came between the 2001 and the 2003 seasons, where he won in late 2001, both races in 2002 and in early 2003.

We hope the Earnhardt family stays strong in these difficult times.

READ MORE: Tragedy Strikes for Dale Earnhardt Jr and his Family as his Grandmother Passes Away