The second son: Kerry Earnhardt, the eldest son of racing legend Dale Earnhardt and a splitting image of his late father, is scrambling to get his career up to speed and catch up with his famous younger brother - The "Other" Brother - stock car racer

Auto Racing Digest, June-July, 2002 by Larry Woody

THE VOICE IS THAT OF THE father. So, too, is the face: the moustache, the devilish glint in the eyes. At 32, Kerry Earnhardt, the eldest of Dale Earnhardt's two sons, resembles his father more and more each year--in terms of physical appearance, personality, and beating. Some of Kerry's early-life struggles are reminiscent of his father's as well.

"Do people ten me I remind me of my father? Yes sir, they do," says Kerry. "I take that as compliment. My father was a great man, and I thought the world of him. It's an honor to be compared to him."

It's also a staggering legacy to live up to. By the time Dale Earnhardt died in a last-lap crash in the 2001 Daytona 500, he was arguably the greatest stock car driver of all time. He was a seven-time champion and won more money than any driver in NASCAR history. He was also an icon and idol to millions of fans.

Dale Jr., five years younger than Kerry, was in his second Winston Cup season at the time of his father's death (and finished second in that fateful Daytona race). Dale Jr.--handsome, talented, and charismatic--has won millions of dollars and is near the top of NASCAR's popularity ratings. "Little E" has been featured in national magazines and has chatted on late-night TV with Jay Leno. He is one of NASCAR's brightest stars.

While Dale Jr. was basking in the national spotlight, Kerry worked to support his family and dabbled in a few lower-division races. Again, that reflects the rocky start endured by his father.

Kerry, like his father, married young and started a family. He went through a divorce, re-married, and this season landed a full-time ride in the NASCAR Busch Series. Kerry realizes how far behind he is, careerwise, but he is determined to catch up. "I have no regrets," says Kerry, who has two children by his first marriage, Bobby, 14, and Jeffrey, 12. Renee, whom he married three years ago, has a nine-year-old daughter, Blade. "For several years I had to choose between my family and racing, and I chose my family. I had to make a living. My dad taught me to be responsible and to always put your family first, and that's what I did. As bad as I wanted to race, I had to support my family."

Now, for the first time, Kerry is in a position to focus on racing. His Busch team is owned by Armando Fitz and retired NFL great Terry Bradshaw, and sponsored by Supercuts. "It's a great team, and I have all the support I need to be competitive," says Kerry. "It's the best situation I've ever been in. I'm looking forward to big things."

"I've always been involved in marketing, and you couldn't ask for more name recognition than Terry Bradshaw and Earnhardt," says Fitz, the son-in-law of the flamboyant Felix Sabates, a former Winston Cup team owner who is now a partner in Ganassi Racing.

When Sabates sold his principal ownership in the Winston Cup team to Chip Ganassi, he offered his Busch team to Fitz. "Kerry is going to be a great race driver, just like his grandfather, Ralph, his father, and his brother," says Fitz. "All he needs is experience and opportunity, and we're going to see that he gets it."

Bradshaw, a Fox-TV football commentator, says he had been a racing fan for years and jumped at the chance to become part owner of a Busch team. "I love the sport, and I want to be part of it," says Bradshaw. "It's something I've sought for some time."

Along with the marketing potential of the Earnhardt-Bradshaw names, the team has the backing of powerful Dale Earnhardt, Inc., which is supplying motors and assisting with engineering and marketing. "It doesn't get any better than that," says Fitz.

"It's a tremendous deal, not only for the team but for me personally," says Kerry. "The team is going to be involved with my father's company, and that makes it even more special. I feel as if my dad is a part of what I'm doing. I'm using some of the foundation he built and left behind."

During the weeks following the tragic loss of his father, Kerry maintained a low profile. Dale Jr. represented the family in press conferences and was the one most often seen in the public eye. "I actually preferred it that way," says Kerry. "I understood why the press was talking to Dale Jr.--he was racing in Winston Cup and was at the tracks at which the media was assembled. It was only natural that everybody would talk to him. I thought he handled it very well."

Plus, Kerry is uncomfortable discussing his father's death. "I loved my father and I miss him and I don't know him else there is to say," he says.

Kerry and Renee were watching the race on TV when the fatal crash occurred. "Kerry knew right away that it was bad," says Renee. "Shortly after the race, we received a call with the bad news. Kerry took it really hard. Nobody realized how hard it was on him because he wasn't in the public eye very often, but it was very difficult. He mourned and suffered in silence."

There couldn't be two more different brothers than Dale Jr. and Kerry. Junior is a carefree bachelor who enjoys rock music and parties. Kerry is a devoted family man who, like his father, likes to hunt and fish and tinker with old cars. "My dad was with Bobby when my son got his first deer," says Kerry. "I think my father was more excited than Bobby. Those are some of the things I'll always remember about my father."