Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s 2 Kids: All About Isla and Nicole — and How They Motivated Him to Return to Racing After His 2017 Retirement

Mar. 15, 2025

Dale Earnhardt Jr. with his two daughters Isla Earnhardt and Nicole Earnhardt.Photo:Amy Earnhardt/ Instagram

Amy Earnhardt/ Instagram

Away from the race track,Dale Earnhardt Jr.enjoys slowing down with his kids: Isla and Nicole.

The former NASCAR driver and his wife,Amy Earnhardt(née Reimann),married in 2016after dating for about seven years. The couplebecame parentswith the birth of their daughter, Isla, in 2018. They welcomed their second daughter,Nicole Lorraine, two years later in 2020.

The professional race car driver — whoretired from the trackin 2017 — temporarily returned to the sport so his daughters could see him in action.

“I didn’t wanna not race in front of them and then when they are 15 to 20, have to go, ‘Yeah, check this out, I had this whole other life,’ ” he said during aNovember 2024 episodeof his podcast. “And they would be like, ‘Man, I wonder what that was like,’ even looking at videos and pictures.”

Now,they’ll watch Earnhardt’s stock racing team, JR Motorsports, compete for the first time in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 16. NASCAR driverJustin Allgaier clinched the spotfor the group in an intense race after not qualifying during an earlier round.

Here’s everything to know about Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s two kids: Isla and Nicole.

Isla Rose Earnhardt, 6

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s daughter Isla poses for a photo in February 2024.Amy Earnhardt/ Instagram

Earnhardt and his wife welcomed their first child, daughter Isla Rose Earnhardt, on Apr. 30, 2018 — one day after what would have been her late paternal grandfather’s birthday.

“She’s finally here!” Amy wroteon X, announcing the birth. “It feels like a dream. The best dream ever."

The couple decided on their firstborn’s moniker in the good old-fashioned way: pen and paper.

“We were going through a lot of different names, and [we would] mix and match them together and write them out on paper," Earnhardt said in an episode of theThe Dale Jr. Downloadpodcast show. “Isla Rose just rang so nicely and flowed out so nicely when you say it. I just loved it."

When Isla was a toddler, she accompanied her parents as they traveled to Bristol, Tenn., so her dad — an NBC Sports analyst at the time — could cover a NASCAR Cup Series race.

While en route to the venue in August 2019, Earnhardt’s private plane rolled off the end of a runway andcaught on fire, according to a report from the Federal Aviation Administration. Earnhardt, Amy, Isla and the two pilots escaped unharmed. However, the incident left “residual effects” on the family, including Isla.

“It took me about a year before I couldget on the planeand just not get super nervous, but our daughter was in the plane with us too, and I think she had some residual effects,” Amy told PEOPLE in March 2022.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. with daughter Isla prior to he NASCAR Xfinity Series Food City 300 on September 20, 2024 in Bristol, Tennessee.Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty

Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty

“But for a while, she would tremble and shake,” Amy continued. “It was before she was talking, so we really couldn’t talk through it with her. That was hard.”

A mode of transportation she seemed comfortable with on her 3rd birthday was a red go-kart her parents gifted her. Showing off her new wheels in anInstagram video, Amy captured their daughter’s reaction to her surprise. “Can we go to the race track?” she quipped.

In addition to seeing Isla zip around on her birthday, Earnhardt has also been present for several milestone moments, including dropping her off for the first day of preschool and kindergarten, the former he confessed he struggled with.

“She didn’t like it,” Earnhardt said in aAugust 2023 podcast episode. “So when they get emotional, it makes you even more emotional."

However, the father-daughter duo had a much better experience on the first day of kindergarten.

“Today, totally different,” he said about the drop-off. “We had an orientation … and I think that was a really good thing.”

Nicole Lorraine Earnhardt, 4

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s daughter Nicole.Amy Earnhardt/ Instagram

Earnhardt and Amy welcomed their second daughter, Nicole Lorraine Earnhardt, on Oct. 12, 2020.

The former race car driverannounced their daughter’s birthon his podcast three days after her arrival and revealed how her name came to be: Nicole is Amy’s middle name, and Lorraine is the middle name of his late mom, Brenda Jackson.

Nicole joined then-2 ½-year-old big sister Isla, who needed time to adjust to the new dynamic. “She didn’t want to be a big sister” at first, Amy told PEOPLE.

But once Nicole was old enough to start talking to Isla and chase her around the house, the big sister began “having a lot more fun with it,” Amy added.

The pair now share a close sisterly bond and can be seen hanging out at home and the beach, as well as cheering on their dad at race car events.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. with daughter Nicole Earnhardt prior to the NASCAR Xfinity Series Food City 300 on September 20, 2024 in Bristol, Tennessee.Jonathan Bachman/Getty

Jonathan Bachman/Getty

As for whether the girls will get behind the wheel of a race car one day, Earnhardt and Amy have given their thoughts on the matter.

“Professionally, I don’t know," Amy said of Nicole while appearing on aJuly 2024 episodeof her husband’s podcast. “She seems like she’s like the kid that’s going to push every envelope."

Amy then revealed where Nicole’s disposition comes from.

“Their birthdays are two days apart,” she shared of Earnhardt and Nicole. “They’re gonna naturally just be more similar, I think. She looks like me but acts like him, which is scary."

The proud parents have given glimpses into their younger daughter’s life, which includes Nicoleenjoying the aquarium, dressing up as a mermaid with her sister and building Legos with her dad, something Earnhardt’s happy to do.

“There is a love and a feeling about being the father of a daughter that I just, I can’t even hardly put it into words,” he said during anApril 2020 podcast episode.

source: people.com