Dale Earnhardt Jr. is an American retired professional stock car racing driver. He currently owns a team, is a published author, and is an analyst for NASCAR on NBC network.
Although retired, he still competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, a stock car racing series that is promoted to the "minor league" circuit, as a means to give new and upcoming drivers a chance to make it to the top level.
He drives the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro, a mid-size automobile that is classified as a pony car designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. He drives for his own team, JR Motorsports, a professional team that competes in the Xfinity Series and the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series and is based in Mooresville, North Carolina.
You probably have heard of him - if you haven't, you definitely have heard of his father, Dale Earnhardt Sr. Dale Sr. was a professional auto racing driver who was best known for his involvement in stock car racing in NASCAR and his numerous wins and accolades throughout his career. If you haven't heard of him, check out 15 things that you can learn about the Earnhardt family.
With such an illustrious career spurred by a family love of NASCAR and stock car racing, it is no wonder that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has amassed a small fortune throughout the years. With such popularity and fame, the net worth of Dale Earnhardt Jr. is staggering. Make sure this isn't one of the things everyone forgets about Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Let's dive a little deeper into the riches and the net worth of the racing great, Dale Earnhardt Jr...
Racing Career
With over 2 decades behind the wheels of a racer, Dale earned a lot of money from his career as a driver. In just the year 2016, Dale made around $23.5 million in earnings, with $15 million of that due to his salary and winnings. This is $22 million more than his salary back in 1998, and we love this growth.
Being a two-time Daytona 500 winner, finishing in the top-1o 260 times as a Cup Series driver, and earning 93 top 10 finishes as a NASCAR Xfinity Series driver, there is no wonder he has earned so much money during his career.
After joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2008, that is the moment when his career - and his salary - really took off into the realm of stardom. Despite only winning nine races during this time, he was the highest paid driver.
Merchandising And Endorsements
Throughout his racing career, and even now, Dale has earned a significant amount of money from merchandising and endorsement deals. He earned between $1 million back in 2000 to $23 million in 2008 on endorsements alone.
From 2000-2007, he was sponsored by Budweiser, which was a powerful sponsor at the time. He also had personal sponsors throughout his career, including Axalta, Goody's, and Wrangler, all big-name companies.
In terms of merchandising, his merch often represented a massive 25% of NASCAR's sales - twice as much as any other race car driver.
NASCAR Hall Of Fame
Not only does Dale Earnhardt Jr. have an extreme amount of money, we know he is a very talented athlete that has had a decorated career throughout the years. The racing legend learned he will soon be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame this year, alongside two other historically significant racers, Mike Stefanik and Red Farmer.
He got the news while he was recording one of his podcasts for his show, and his reaction was on camera.
Although having a high net worth as an athlete is important for taking care of your family, providing yourself and your kids with everything that you need, but for such a highly decorated athlete, it could actually mean more to be inducted into the hall of fame - for any sport.
We love his honest reaction and emotional response to learning of his induction. Check it out, here.
Net Worth
Dale Earnhardt Jr has rightly earned an estimated net worth of a whopping $400 million - wow. Even with this fortune, he still finds ways to improve his business opportunities.
He is the co-owner of Whiskey River Beer and Wings restaurants in Charlotte, NC, and is also a partner of NY Eye Inc, helping start his own line of eyeglasses.
With such illustrious business opportunities, a powerful racing career, recognition into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and a lengthy career involving numerous wins and various endorsements, we are not surprised at all about Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s huge net worth and the comfortable lifestyle that he is leading.