Jeffrey Earnhardt Bio
Jeffrey Lynn Earnhardt (born June 22, 1989) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He most recently competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 24 Toyota GR Supra for Sam Hunt Racing. He is a member of one of the most famous families in motorsports and continues to build a career in NASCAR’s national series.
Born in Mooresville, North Carolina, Earnhardt carries the legacy of the Earnhardt family into every race he enters. As the son of Kerry Earnhardt, grandson of NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, and nephew of Dale Earnhardt Jr., he represents the fourth generation of a racing dynasty that has shaped American stock car racing for decades.
Early Life and Background
Jeffrey Lynn Earnhardt was born on June 22, 1989, in Mooresville, North Carolina, a town often called the home of NASCAR because so many racing teams are based there. Growing up in this environment gave him close access to the world of stock car racing from a young age, and the Earnhardt family name opened doors across the sport.
He is the middle child of Kerry Earnhardt and has four siblings, including a paternal half-sister, Kayla, and two maternal half-brothers, James and David. His older brother, Bobby Dale Earnhardt, has also pursued a racing career, competing in the ARCA Racing Series. The family’s deep roots in racing encouraged Jeffrey to begin driving at a young age on short tracks in Virginia.
Path to NASCAR
Earnhardt’s first race came in the hornet division at Wythe Raceway in Rural Retreat, Virginia, where he scored three feature wins and earned Rookie of the Year honors. He soon moved up to the sportsman division at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Virginia, finishing in the top ten of the division standings. These early results on short tracks helped him gain the attention of larger racing teams.
In 2006, General Motors created a driver development search program that invited promising young drivers to test late model and Busch cars. Earnhardt made the final cut, which set the stage for his entry into NASCAR’s development ladder. The following year, he drove the No. 1 Chevrolet for Andy Santerre Motorsports in the NASCAR Busch East Series, finishing fifth in the 2007 standings and winning the series’ Most Popular Driver Award.
Jeffrey Earnhardt Career
Early Career (2008-2012)
Earnhardt returned to what is now known as the ARCA Menards Series East in 2008 for another full season. His progress was interrupted when Dale Earnhardt Inc. merged with Chip Ganassi Racing, which disrupted the team’s driver development program and led to his release. He spent the next two seasons running limited schedules with Rick Ware Racing, qualifying him to drive on all NASCAR tracks by 2011.
During this period, Earnhardt also branched out beyond stock cars. He ran the 24 Hours of Daytona with Rick Ware Racing, finishing twelfth, and later moved to the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series in 2012, racing in the GT class. He also made an amateur mixed martial arts debut in May 2012, winning by unanimous decision, showing a willingness to test himself in different arenas.
NASCAR Nationwide and Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2013-2019)
In November 2012, Earnhardt announced he would compete for Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2013, driving the No. 79 for Go Green Racing, though sponsorship issues limited his schedule. He later drove a one-race deal with JR Motorsports at Richmond International Raceway and ran a full 2014 season with JD Motorsports in the No. 4, finishing eighteenth in points despite missing time with a fractured collarbone suffered in a motorcycle accident.
After stints with Viva Motorsports and others, Earnhardt joined Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019 for a part-time Xfinity Series schedule, sharing the No. 18 Toyota Supra with Riley Herbst, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin. He scored a career-best third place finish at the summer Charlotte race that season, confirming his potential when given competitive equipment.
NASCAR Cup Series Era (2015-2018)
Earnhardt made his Sprint Cup Series debut at the 2015 Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway for Go Fas Racing, becoming the second fourth-generation driver to compete in NASCAR’s top series. In 2016, he ran the majority of the Cup schedule for Go Fas Racing with sponsorship from Can-Am motorcycles and competed for Cup Rookie of the Year honors, while also making select starts for BK Racing.
In 2017, Earnhardt drove the No. 33 Chevrolet for Circle Sport-The Motorsports Group and made NASCAR history by becoming the first-ever fourth-generation driver to compete in the Daytona 500, finishing 26th. He later joined StarCom Racing and Gaunt Brothers Racing in 2018, recording a career-best Cup finish of eleventh at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona.
Sam Hunt Racing and Alpha Prime Racing Era (2020-Present)
Earnhardt returned to JD Motorsports in 2020 on a twelve-race Xfinity schedule and was elevated to a full-time ride in the No. 0 for 2021. On November 9, 2021, he announced he would not return to JD Motorsports in 2022 in order to pursue opportunities with a top-tier team, and in January 2022, he signed with Sam Hunt Racing to drive part-time, including the No. 24 Toyota GR Supra.
That same year, Earnhardt drove the No. 3 for Richard Childress Racing in the spring Talladega Xfinity race, marking the first time he drove the famous number previously associated with his grandfather Dale Earnhardt. He earned his first career pole award and finished a career-best second behind Noah Gragson. In 2023, he ran full-time for Alpha Prime Racing in the No. 44 Chevrolet before moving to a select-race schedule, finishing 27th in the final standings with a best result of eleventh at Daytona.
Driving Style and Strengths
Earnhardt has built a reputation as a determined and resilient driver who performs well on restrictor-plate tracks, where drafting and patience are crucial. His career-best finishes have come at Daytona and Talladega, including an eleventh at Daytona and a runner-up result at Talladega in 2022. He has also shown steady improvement on intermediate tracks when paired with strong teams and equipment.
Notable Races and Milestones
Among Earnhardt’s most memorable moments are his 2017 Daytona 500 start, which made him the first fourth-generation driver to race in that event, and his 2022 pole award and second-place finish at Talladega in the No. 3 for Richard Childress Racing. His third-place run at Charlotte in 2019 with Joe Gibbs Racing also stands out as proof of his speed in top equipment.
Jeffrey Earnhardt Career Wins
Jeffrey Earnhardt has not recorded a victory in NASCAR’s three national series as of the most recent verified records. His best results include a second-place Xfinity Series finish at Talladega in 2022, a third-place Xfinity Series run at Charlotte in 2019, and an eleventh-place Cup Series finish at Daytona in 2018. He has earned one pole position in the Xfinity Series, captured at Talladega in 2022.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Highlights
Earnhardt’s Xfinity Series career has been highlighted by consistent part-time and full-time opportunities with teams like JD Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Sam Hunt Racing, and Alpha Prime Racing. His strongest seasons came in 2019 with Joe Gibbs Racing, when he finished third at Charlotte, and in 2022 with Sam Hunt Racing and Richard Childress Racing, when he earned his first pole and a career-best runner-up result at Talladega.
Other Wins and Performances
Earlier in his career, Earnhardt earned the 2007 Busch East Series Most Popular Driver Award after finishing fifth in the standings. He also scored three feature wins in the hornet division at Wythe Raceway and recorded a twelfth-place finish in the 24 Hours of Daytona with Rick Ware Racing.
Jeffrey Earnhardt Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Jeffrey Earnhardt is a fourth-generation NASCAR driver and the son of Kerry Earnhardt. He is the nephew of Dale Earnhardt Jr., the grandson of NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Dale Earnhardt, and the great-grandson of Ralph Earnhardt, a pioneering stock car racer. His older brother, Bobby Dale Earnhardt, has also raced in the ARCA series, keeping the family’s racing tradition alive across multiple generations.
Personal Life
Earnhardt is the middle child in his family and has four siblings, including a paternal half-sister, Kayla, and two maternal half-brothers, James and David. He has balanced his racing career with other interests, including a brief amateur mixed martial arts appearance in 2012. He continues to live and work in the NASCAR heartland of Mooresville, North Carolina.
2025 Season Performance
As of the most recent verified updates, Jeffrey Earnhardt’s 2025 plans had not been fully announced. After splitting time between the No. 44 and No. 45 at Alpha Prime Racing in 2023 and running part-time for Sam Hunt Racing, his status for 2025 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series remains to be confirmed. His experience in the Xfinity Series and his prior pole and runner-up result at Talladega position him as a strong candidate for part-time opportunities with competitive teams.
Should he secure a ride for 2025, Earnhardt is expected to lean on his restrictor-plate strengths, particularly at Daytona and Talladega, where his drafting skills have produced his best career results. His connections across the sport, including past partnerships with Joe Gibbs Racing and Richard Childress Racing, give him several realistic paths back to a full or part-time national series schedule.