Dale Jr. excited to explore Earnhardt roots in Germany
CONCORD, N.C. — On Monday, after competing in this weekend's race at Michigan International Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will embark on a treasure hunt.
Earnhardt will fly to Germany in hopes of tracing his family's lineage, which dates to more than three centuries ago there. It will be the driver's first visit to Europe other than a 24-hour stay in Monaco to shoot a Jay-Z video in 2006.
"I've got some specific areas narrowed down I want to go see and some buildings I want to go see that I know my family was somewhat connected to," Earnhardt told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday during an appearance for Amp Energy. "They left Germany in 1744, so all this stuff we're going to see or get close to is more than 300 years old."
Amy Reimann, Earnhardt's girlfriend, will join the trip along with his sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, and brother-in-law L.W. Miller. They'll be guided by German native Martin Friedrich, who is in charge of information technology at JR Motorsports.
"I'm excited," Earnhardt said. "My sister is super nervous. She doesn't leave the house for that long of time without her kids, so she's super nervous. So I want to make sure she has a good time, and Martin is going to make sure we're enjoying ourselves and not insulting anybody or driving on the wrong side of the road."
Genealogy has been an ongoing hobby for Earnhardt, who became passionate about researching his family history in 2012. He located the gravesites of ancestors in North Carolina — relatives who were born as far back as 1809.
But to go further up the family tree, Earnhardt realized he'd have to travel overseas. The Earnhardt name — though pronounced differently ("Eh-ren-heart") and spelled various ways — has been found handwritten in German books and bibles.
The 'd' in Earnhardt was added when the family arrived in the United States, he said.
Earnhardt consulted a North Carolina genealogist to confirm some of his findings "so I don't go to Germany for no reason, or I'm standing in the wrong area or talking to the wrong people," he said with a chuckle.
The driver enjoys the process more than anything. When he plays video games, for example, it's not the actual game or race he likes as much as building a team from scratch.
"I like to manage," he said. "That's sort of a game, building your genealogy. Having to think and manage and remember and trace back all that stuff. It's fun. Really enjoyable."
In the meantime, Earnhardt spent Thursday in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven near Hendrick Motorsports before flying to Michigan. He unveiled a pink and black No. 88 car for the Michigan race — a fan-voted scheme that represents Amp's new Passion Fruit flavor — and drove the car into a personalized parking space outside the store.
He then answered fan questions and offered samples of several new Amp flavors (he was most excited to try the Strawberry Limeade).
Earnhardt said he found the appearance to be low-key and relatively relaxing because it was in a 7-Eleven parking lot.
"You don't know what you're going to walk into, so the best thing is to go in with this, 'Hey man, just roll with it,' attitude," he said. "That way you have more fun, your body language and your interaction with people is better."
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PHOTOS: Behind the wheel with Dale Earnhardt Jr.
