'Like Elvis': Dale Earnhardt Jr., sister reflect on dad's legacy, documentary on his life

Perhaps no NASCAR figure is more revered than Dale Earnhardt Sr., who went from a kid stuck in the mill town of Kannapolis, North Carolina to auto racing's biggest stage. 

Nearly 25 years after his tragic death at 49, Earnhardt — subject of a soon-to-be-released documentary on Amazon Prime Video — remains a popular figure, even among fans who never saw him race. 

On South Main Street in Kannapolis stands a 9-foot statue of Earnhardt. It's a fitting tribute to a man who was larger than life to so many. 

According to Dale Earnhardt Jr., the meaning of that statue isn't lost on the younger generation. 

"A friend of mine, his son and his friends were getting ready for prom," Earnhardt Jr. said during a virtual news conference Wednesday. "One of the things they wanted to do before they went to their event was go to the statue and have their photo made at the statue.

"Those moments where someone who obviously never saw this person compete but still has this respect and fascination for him in some way, that is so fascinating to me and something I didn't expect to happen."

Earnhardt Jr. and his sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, hope to educate fans about their father in the new documentary series, Earnhardt, which premieres on Prime Video on May 22. 

"We're so far down the line from his passing and his impact on the sport that a large portion of our fan base in NASCAR has never seen him race," said Earnhardt Jr., who retired from full-time racing in 2017. "I feel like it was a great opportunity to introduce him to people that don't know him that well. There's even drivers in [the Cup Series] field on Sunday that don't know what this person was all about." 

Miller called the making the documentary therapeutic.

"My kids didn't really understand the relationship I had with my dad," she said. "You can talk about people all day long and share stories, but when I see my dad's mannerisms, and when I see my dad speak, so much more comes back to me." 

Earnhardt's rough-and-tumble start in racing was far from the optimal path to a career at the highest level of stock car racing. But Earnhardt Jr. said the resilience his father showed on his journey to the top was what transformed him from a race car driver to an American icon. 

"He became superhero-like," Earnhardt Jr. said of his father, who was renowned for his uber-aggressive racing style. "He was like Elvis, he was beyond this world to a lot of people. He transcended the man and the person that we knew for a lot of fans. They thought he was indestructible and bulletproof and was this larger-than-life, otherworldly thing." 

Earnhardt, who won seven titles and 76 races, became NASCAR's biggest star in life. But it wasn't until after his death that his superstardom was truly realized. 

"I didn't realize how big of a deal he was until he passed away," Earnhardt Jr. said of his father, who died after a last-lap crash during the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18, 2001. "I think that's why today, I'm a little bit taken aback. That was the challenge for me and Kelley. We knew him as a good dad, a tough dad, a not-so-good dad sometimes. But there was this large group of people that thought he was god-like. I think that contrast will come through in the show." 

The first two episodes of Earnhardt will premiere May 22 on Prime Video, with the last two premiering May 29.

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.