DARLINGTON, South Carolina — Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his family were in a plane crash earlier this month when they were traveling to Tennessee for race weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The video of that crash showed everyone escaping the plane moments before it went up in flames.
That moment is something the Earnhardts don’t want to re-live; however, they are more than ready to move forward.
We sat down with Amy Earnhardt ahead of her husband's return to the track this weekend to talk about family, the future, and giving back.
"Last year was obviously a big year for you guys with having Isla. What has year one been like? You celebrated her birthday in the spring, but what has year one of motherhood been like for you?" asked NBC Charlotte's Ashley Stroehlein.
"It’s been interesting," Earnhardt said. "We have a very dynamic headstrong little girl, and she’s so much fun and very sweet, but she’s a climber, she’s into everything so she keeps us on our toes. But I am absolutely loving being a mother, and we’re thinking about even expanding the family. I’m not pregnant, but we’re looking to do that in the near future probably."
In the meantime, the parents are doing their best to create memorable moments for Isla, most recently a little Halloween in August.
"We had a day trip the other day we went to Lowe's and of course they have all the Halloween out in August already, so we bought a few things. And I didn’t realize how big that thing was gonna be until we put it on the front porch and Dale blew it up as soon as we got home. And it scared the dogs, and Isla loved it. It was kind of just fun in general," Earnhardt said.
Now they’re gearing up for their next family moment: Dale Jr.'s return to the track this weekend at Darlington.
"It’s funny how race car drivers say they’re retiring. They never seem to really hang it up. He’s got this 'last'” race in Darlington, and Isla and I are gonna go down and watch him, of course. I’m excited for him. He’s excited about it," said Earnhardt.
In the midst of possibly expanding their family and their busy schedule, the Earnhardts also continue to make giving back through the Dale Jr Foundation a priority.
"When you’re able to see the children’s faces that it affects, it makes all of it make much more sense. A lot of the foundation’s initiatives are local. We really deal a lot with elementary schools and children in our area. So it just feels good. I’m glad now that Isla, too, is going to experience some of that. The foundation will go on and on and hopefully she’ll be involved with that as well and really experience what that’s like to give back," Earnhardt said.
You can help out the foundation by buying a $25 raffle ticket to win Dale Jr.'s ride: A 2019 Corvette. The raffle ends Saturday night around midnight.