Dale Earnhardt Jr. is known for making eccentric purchases. He has built an expansive 300-acre town near a place where he lived as a bachelor, which has a saloon, a tavern called named ‘Whiskey River’, a chapel, and a jail. He also has a 3300 sq. ft house, that is designed to look like a pirate ship, with fishnets hanging on ropes along with the wheel of a pirate ship in the $2.4 million house.
So it should come as no surprise that Dale Jr. also has a houseboat, that he bought in his wife Amy Earnhardt’s name, to convince her that it was a good investment. However, the purchase didn’t go down well with Dale Jr’s significant other, who suggested the name ‘She Said No’ for the houseboat.
Was Dale Earnhardt Jr fulfilling his father’s desire?
Dale Jr’s decision to buy a houseboat might have come from his father’s unfulfilled desire. Months before Dale Earnhardt passed away at Daytona International Speedway, Senior had ordered a luxurious 100-foot yacht named ‘Sunday Money’, which was nothing short of a mansion on the sea. However, the seven-time Cup Series winner never had the opportunity to take a ride on his yacht, due to his untimely death on on 18th February 2001. While a houseboat isn’t exactly a yacht, it can be considered the next best thing! Dale Earnhardt Jr has previously spoken about how expensive it would be to maintain a luxury yacht, which may have prompted him to buy a houseboat instead.
Speaking on Dale Jr Download about his houseboat ‘investment’, Dale Jr said, “I saw this houseboat and it was in, I think it was in Chattanooga, Tennesse on a river somewhere and it’s a little bit more of a home than the houseboat we had was just a party pad. That was a party pad, this is more like a family boat. So Sonny goes and looks at it, sends me all these videos of the boat running and the inside and all that and there’s little things that need to get fixed. I paid too much money for it. It’s probably not worth what I paid but we got the boat and now here we are. And so, to force Amy to like it, I made her put her name on the title.”
When Amy Earnhardt was asked if she loves the boat, she truthfully replied, “I walk in and I’m talking to myself constantly, trying to talk myself into loving it. I’m like this damn boat still stinks.” Finding the humor in the situation, Dale Earnhardt Jr went on to say, “Amy came up with a great idea name for the boat. ‘She Said No.’
It may not have been a yacht that rivaled what his father bought in 2001, but despite Amy Earnhardt not liking the houseboat, it may have scratched an itch that Dale Jr has had for a long time, especially if it’s a way to honor his father’s unfulfilled wish. As for Dale Earnhardt Sr’s yacht, the legendary driver had named it ‘Sunday Money’ after a song that he co-wrote, along with country-music duo Brooks and Dunn. The yacht features five staterooms and a Detroit Diesel engine and was on sale for $4.2 million a few years ago. It wasn’t the only boat that was owned by the Earnhardt family, as Teresa Earnhardt inherited the sport-fishing yacht, called “Intimidator,” named after Dale Earnhardt senior’s nickname. As for Dale Jr, the 49-year-old has several other expensive purchases, but whether his wife considers them to be a ‘bad investment’ remains to be seen.
Dale Earnhardt Jr has an estimated net worth of $300 million (as per celebrity net worth), which makes him one of NASCAR’s richest drivers of all time. The two-time Xfinity Series winner has used his immense popularity to propel himself toward financial success, which has helped him purchase some very expensive items over the years. He currently owns 200 acres of land in Mooresville, North Carolina, with a mansion that is 11,784 square feet. Dale Jr purchased the land in 2007 for an estimated $5 million and has undergone significant renovations since then. He also owns a private jet, registered as N8JR with a capacity of 8 passengers and 2 crew members. Dale Jr’s jet has a range of 2240 miles and boasts a speed of 522 miles per hour and the purchase set him back an estimated $12 million. Dale Earnhardt Jr also owns the vehicle that he drove during the early days of his NASCAR career, the No. 8 Budweiser Chevy. The red and white Chevrolet was the car that led Junior to many iconic victories during his Dale Earnhardt Inc. days, especially at Daytona International Speedway.
While the houseboat may not have gone down well with Amy Earnhardt, it’s fair to say that Dale Earnhardt Jr has earned his creature comforts after a long and difficult racing career. Having been forced to retire in 2017 after suffering from concussion-related symptoms for a large part of his career, Junior can kick back and relax now that he’s no longer living in the fast lane. He recently began competing in the Late Model Series, to regain his love for racing.
