Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Real Estate Empire
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Legendary NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. doesn’t just race cars. He also has some impressive real estate.
In 2021, the semi-retired racer sold a pirate-themed mansion in Key West, Florida, for $3 million. That home was next door to a house he renovated and sold for a $500,000 profit with his wife, Amy.
Earnhardt also owns a sprawling property in North Carolina, which includes the recreation of an Old West town, a NASCAR graveyard, a massive garage and an enormous treehouse.
Take a tour of Earnhardt Jr.’s properties, past and present.
DIY Couple
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Dale and Amy Earnhardt won't forget their first DIY home project.
A Key West Flip
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The first property is this historic mansion in Key West, which was featured on the 2018 four-part DIY Network reality TV series, "Renovation Realities: Dale Jr. & Amy."
The two took a completely trashed property and turned it into something awesome.
This is the before photo, taken in 2017.
The Front: After
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Earhardt and his wife may have renovated the house for a television show, but the couple had owned the home for several years before that.
They bought the home in a dilapidated condition in 2015 for $1.2 million — a sum that Dale Jr. told The Charlotte Observer was "a little bit more than what it was worth."
'We Didn't Buy It to Flip It'
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The Earnhardts, who owned a home in Key West since 2010, bought the home to remove an eyesore from the block. "We didn’t buy it to flip it. We just bought it to clean it up," Earnhardt told the Observer.
There was trash everywhere, and the previous owner had owned "multiple different sets and pieces of furniture, and everything was broken."
Although they initially just wanted to clean up the place, they decided to renovate it a few years later.
A $900,000 Rennovation
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The Earnhardts earmarked $900,000 for the renovation, which turned into a complete remodel. Amy is an interior designer, but Dale Jr. wasn't used to being hands-on when it came to flipping properties.
"I knew nothing about renovation, and I know nothing about having to rebuild the floor and all the main bones of the house having to be rebuilt and torn out a piece at a time," he told the Observer.
Big Profits
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The Eardharts sold this house for $2.6 million in 2018.
The deal closed one month after the two put the house on the market.
They made $500,000 on the deal.
The Kitchen
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The kitchen received marble countertops with reclaimed wood beams and copper light fixtures.
From Beat to Chic
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The house was filled with termites, cat poop, spiders, bees and scorpions.
Renovations were tough, with further setbacks occurring because of Hurricane Irma, which shut down work for five weeks.
Getting Creative
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According to a post on his Facebook, there wasn't a lot of space for storage in this Key West house. So they decided to "get creative" and build a closet under the stairs.
A Total OverHaul
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The house has 5,968 square feet of living space with three bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms.
Amy's Favorite Room
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Believe it or not, this room used to be an old, broken-down shed.
The Earnhardts almost tore it down, but they got creative and turned it into a small dining area with shiplap walls.
It’s Amy’s favorite room.
An Historic Property
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The house is 157 years old and dates back to the Civil War era.
Pretty much the only useable stuff was the home’s bones.
Just about everything else had to be gutted.
The Master Bedroom
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The master bedroom has large doors with double-paned windows that lead to the balcony.
They used an old door to create a sliding barn door for the master bathroom.
The Master Bathroom
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The two spent almost a year renovating the property.
We wonder if there was some extra stuff stashed away in the cabinets in this master bathroom.
According to the old listing, Dale Jr. and Amy "placed some personal memorabilia as a surprise in the home."
Building a Pool
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Earnhardt got hands on with the excavator and dug out the entire pool himself.
"I dug the whole pool out and filled in the cistern," Earnhardt told the Observer, saying he spent "maybe about two or three days total on the excavator doing all that. It was a lot of fun. It’s kind of like playing a video game once you figure out the controls."
His first time working an excavator left a lasting impression. "I could have totally spent my life listening to classic rock running an excavator for a living, had racing not worked out," he wrote on Facbook.
The Pool
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The results were awesome.
The pool includes water features and a step-up spa.
It’s directly accessible from Amy’s favorite area.
The Deck
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The deck is beautifully done.
The French doors open wide, allowing for some breezy indoor/outdoor living.
The Outdoor Kithcen
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The couple added an outdoor kitchen which includes a slate countertop fashioned from an old, broken heap of a pool table that was found on the property. The bricks used for the backsplash are about 100 years old; they were also found on the site.
The Outdoor Bathroom
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The outdoor bathroom includes a couple of really cool features.
The sink basin is a block crafted from the home's foundation.
The Foundation Sink
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A closer look at the sink basin.
The stone block has been smoothed down and polished.
The Outdoor Shower
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The outdoor shower is Dale Jr.'s favorite part of the property.
The shower was painted by Kevin McCree, who also paints his race cars.
Home Renovation Success
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Dale Jr. enjoyed renovating his first house.
Taking a Break on the Porch
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The covered porch has dark hardwood flooring with light blue accents.
It looks like a relaxing place to spend a nice day.
A Signature Touch
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When Dale Jr. and Amy finished the property, they signed this corner of concrete.
The House Next Door
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One of the probable reasons why the Earnhardts bought and fixed up that previous house was because it was right next door to their other house.
The couple owned and sold this mansion for $3 million in February 2021.
Their Longtime Vacation Home
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Records indicate that the home was only sold once before in the past decade, in 2009 for $2.4 million.
It’s likely that this was the house that the Earnhardts lived in since then, although it was not their main home (more on that one later).
A Nautical Theme
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The Earnhardts gave this house a nautical theme, which is fitting, given the home’s location.
It’s just a couple of blocks away from the beach.
Earnhardt Jr.'s Dream Kitchen
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Here is where the Earnhardts' creativity really shines.
The entire kitchen was remodeled to look like a pirate ship.
Custom Made by the Legend Himself
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According to the listing, the kitchen "was artfully designed by Earnhardt himself."
Of course, his wife surely helped, too.
Treasure Over Yonder?
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The kitchen features a wooden, garage-style door with a skull and crossbones painted on.
We wonder what’s behind it.
Maybe some treasure?
Ahoy, Matey
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The bar —which appears to be made of reclaimed wood— is flanked by two columns wrapped in thick rope.
A Good Place to Whip Up His Favorite Sandwich
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Earnhardt Jr.'s favorite sandwich is a mayo-banana sandwich. It's a light spread of mayo with sliced bananas on white bread. So that's something.
Gordon Ramsay did not approve. "Whatever Muppet put those two together needs to clean their core. Dale Jr. needs to call me," he said in 2017.
The Kitchen Nook
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The kitchen features a kitchen nook that opens out to a spectacular pool and patio area.
But first let's head upstairs.
The Master Bedroom
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The master bedroom has wooden floors and a vaulted wooden ceiling, with a set of French doors leading to an outdoor balcony.
The Upstairs Porch
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The second-floor balcony has one of the more intriguing parts of the home. The balcony has a gate that can be unlatched, allowing direct, free-fall access to the pool below.
Cannonball!
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Those daring enough to take the plunge will be happy to know that this pool is 13 to 14 feet deep and is "one of the deepest and largest pools in Key West," according to the listing,
The Pool
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Of course, you'd have to be some thrill-seeker, or a race car driver, to take a plunge from the porch. The water is best accessed via the lower deck, which surrounds the long, fern-shaded pool.
The Compound
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Earnhardt Jr.'s main house is an 11,784 square-foot house located in Mooresville, North Carolina.
He calls it "Dirty Mo Acres," an estate 200 miles north of Charlotte that's set on 72 acres and is valued at $5.2 million.
Pictures of the inside are sparse, but the most intriguing area of this estate is located outside of his mansion.
The Front of the North Carolina House
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A long driveway leads to the front door of Dale Earnhart's North Carolina house.
It's A Large House
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We don't know the square footage, but Earnhardt Jr.'s house is quite large, with stone siding and a dramatic front entryway.
A Peek Inside
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There are very few photos of the Earnhardts' main home in North Carolina. This is a peek into the foyer, which has an impressive pair of wood, barn-style entry doors.
Those Doors Are Awesome
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A closer look at the doors from Dale Jr.'s Instagram, where he is giving a trick-or-treater some candy.
The doors are massive, with iron bars over the viewing windows.
The Old West Reimagined
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He had a whole street's worth of shops and buildings constructed to resemble a town from the Old West.
He calls it Whiskey River.
Population: 88
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Eighty-eight people don't live in Whiskey River, of course.
That number is the Dale Earnhardt Jr. number, when he began driving the No. 8 for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008. He added an extra 8.
Earnhardt Jr.'s grandfather, Ralph Earnhardt, drove the No. 8 in 1957 at Martinsville.
It's Awesome
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The town includes a bank, doctor's office, postal service station, sheriff's office and barbershop. Although we're not sure which buildings are functional.
Chances are, most of them were built just for the awesome looks.
There's a Church
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Every Old West town needs a church to pay penance for bad deeds done.
It Was Built for Partying
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"I wanted to build a place for me and my friends, and I didn't want to destroy my house," Earnhardt Jr. said on "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel."
There's a Saloon
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Aside from the town's movie set looks, the Silverado Saloon is the highlight of Whiskey River.
That Is Fully Functional
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While it looks worn down from the outside, the inside of the saloon is flush with modern amenities, including a pool table and several pinball machines.
With a Classic Look
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The bar, and the town, were featured in a YouTube episode of JRM 360 by JR Motorsports called "New Sheriff in Town."
And a Jail
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No Old West town is complete without a jailhouse.
Inside, there are working jail cells and a sign that reads "No whining, crying, outright blubbering or the likes thereof whatsoever! This is a respectable jail."
And a Livery
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There's a livery at one corner of Earnhardt Jr.'s old Western town.
It looks amazing, with reclaimed wood hitching posts, but we're not sure if it's functional or not.
No Horses Here
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Actually, we're pretty sure there are no horses over yonder.
Sure looks cool, though.
Stay at The Hilton
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You might not get the five-star treatment here, but after a long night of partying, shamble on over to The Hilton.
Of Course, There's a Garage
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Naturally, there's a garage on the property with several of Earnhardt's cars, although not all of them.
Earnhardt Jr. reportedly has over 60 cars on his North Carolina property.
With Tons of Trophies
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The garage is decorated with dozens and dozens of trophies and racing jumpsuits.
A Retirement Gift
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When Earnhardt Jr. retired in 2017, Talledega Super Speedway gave him this vehicle as a gift.
"Time to go to work. Rebuilding the brakes, adjust clutch, new carburetor, fix a few decals, change a little wiring and plumbing. Should be a fun project," he wrote on Facebook in early 2018.
And a Basketball Court
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Calling this just a garage doesn't do it justice.
The building also includes a basketball court, which is decorated with race car frames.
With a Locker Room
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The huge building has a locker room adjacent to the basketball court, and it has 27 lockers.
Established 2002
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Earnhardt Jr. developed this property in 2002, a year after Dale Earnhardt Sr. died in the 2001 Daytona 500.
He Has an Awesome Treehouse
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Earnhardt Jr. had a huge treehouse built for him in 2015.
The treehouse, which is about 20 feet from the ground, was featured on the sixth season of Animal Planet's "Treehouse Masters."
A Place to Hang Out
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The treehouse is a sanctuary for Earnhardt.
"It’s a great place to sit back, drink beer and relax, unwind a little bit," Earnhardt Jr. said on his website. "Look across the woods out over the property and just take it all in."
There's a Gas Station
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There's an old-fashioned gas station on Dirty Mo Acres. It's a convenient place to fill up all the cars, go-karts and four-wheelers Earnhardt Jr. owns.
Dirt Track Racing
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If dirt track racing is your thing, and you're Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s buddy, then you'd enjoy this dirt track.
A Different Kind of Racing
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Earnhardt Jr.'s property includes a go-kart track, which he clearly likes to use with his child.
There's a Race Car Graveyard
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Earnhardt Jr. collects crashed race cars (mainly just the frames after they've been stripped of parts) and has them placed in a race car graveyard on Dirty Mo Acres.
This one is the No. 24 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet SS that was driven, and crashed, by Chase Elliot during the 2017 Coca-Cola 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Elliot hit some debris from another car, which slowed him down, and then was struck from behind by Brad Keselowski.
The collision ended both their races 380 laps before the race finished.
There Are Cars From Numerous Drivers and Races
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This is the No. 88 Hughes Construction Chevrolet, driven by Alex Bowman during the Ticket Galaxy 200 at the Phoenix International Raceway in November 2016.
Bowman's car bounced off the concrete and went careening into the barrier.
He finished 38th out of 40.
Wrecks from Recent NASCAR History
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This is "Amelia," a Chevrolet SS nicknamed after Amelia Earhart.
It was one of Earhardt Jr.'s favorite cars, which he drove to victory at the Talladega and Daytona 500 races in 2015.
But in 2016, the car spun out at both events and became wrecked after hitting a wall at that year's Talladega.
Charred Remains
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This National Guard Chevy SS was set alight at the Texas Motor Speedway in 2014, when Earnhardt Jr. smacked it into a turn wall and knocked loose an oil or gas line, which caught on fire.
Earnhardt Jr. wasn't injured in the crash, and he finished 43rd.
A Crashed Chevy Camaro
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This is the car that Regan Smith smashed up at the Daytona International Speedway on Feb 21, 2015.
Rival racer Daniel Suarez lost control and zig-zagged across the straightaway, then smacked into the rear bumper of Smith’s Chevrolet Camaro. The Camaro flipped and landed on its roof, then was struck again by three other cars.
Luckily, no one was hurt.
The Car That Crashed During the Qualifying Lap
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So what caused the crash? The steering wheel popped off, leaving Jimmie Johnson with no control over his car.
He was fine, but the car was smashed to uselessness (as opposed to being useless but in good shape) and now rests in Earnhardt Jr.'s race car graveyard.
Even He Doesn't Know Where All the Cars Are
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Amusingly, even Earnhardt Jr. doesn't know the exact whereabouts of these dead cars. As he wrote on Instagram about this car:
"I’ve been looking for this car for about a year. Deep in the Race car Graveyard is Wayne Jesel’s land speed car that was converted from an old Xfinity car. These cars would compete on airport runways to run over 200 mph in a one mile trap from a standing start. I say I’ve been looking for it because my property manager never tells me where he puts the new additions. That’s just adds to the mystery of the graveyard."
The Taxslayer
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Earnhardt Jr. drove this Taxslayer Chevrolet Camaro during the 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway in February 2013.
This one was part of a crash caused by Brad Keselowski and Regan Smith, who clipped one another, lost control, and sent cars pinwheeling around the track. Alex Bowman's car smashed into the front of Earnhardt Jr.'s car.
Earnhardt finished the race in 14th place.
Danica Patrick's Race Car
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Danica Patrick crashed this car at the Auto Club Speedway in 2010 after being hit by James Buescher, who had been pushed by Brian Scott.
The high-speed collision sent Patrick's car into the retaining wall and briefly became air bound. She finished at No. 30.
Those looking for a more in-depth look at Earnhardt Jr.'s car graveyard can head on over to DaleJr.com.
Enjoying the Ride
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Life is good for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his wife, Amy.