Jeffrey Earnhardt knows pressure comes with having one of NASCAR's famous last names

When Dale Earnhardt Jr. made his NASCAR Cup series debut in 1999, many people treated it as, well, a second coming.
 
He had a last name like no other in the sport. Even the name Petty didn’t seem to match the level of reverence.
 
Earnhardt Jr.’s popularity soared, even after his famous father died in the 2001 Daytona 500. Some would say his popularity soared because his father died, but there’s no getting around what the name Earnhardt meant to fans of father and son.
 
Even the “other” son had legions of fans. Kerry Earnhardt has never had the on-track success to mirror his half-brother, but plenty of fans were drawn to him, in large part because of his last name.
 
Now, there soon will be another Earnhardt on the NASCAR scene, Kerry’s youngest son, Jeffrey, who will make his Nationwide Series debut with Rick Ware Racing at Dover International Speedway in June.
 
Will there be pressure? Of course. He’s an Earnhardt.
 
“People do expect a lot, but that’s something you’ve just got to brush off your shoulders,” Jeffrey Earnhardt says. “Everybody keeps saying it, but you can’t let it get you down. Everybody is their own driver. Just because your last name [is the same], it doesn’t make you as good a driver as that person.
 
“My grandfather worked hard and learned everything he knew. That’s what made him as good a driver as he was. I can only learn what I can and be my own driver. That’s what I’m looking to be. I’m not looking to be as good as my grandfather because that’s a tough thing to follow.”
 
Jeffrey simply wants to be the best driver Jeffrey Earnhardt can be. His dad tried his best to teach him that, to show him what it meant to the outside world to be an Earnhardt.
 
Dale Earnhardt was a hero to a lot of people, including Jeffrey. But while Jeffrey also saw him as granddad, he understood what the name Earnhardt meant in the NASCAR world.
 
“I think he learned it growing up, being around it,” Kerry says. “He learned it at an early age.”
 
You might figure Kerry would try to keep Jeffrey away from NASCAR, but Kerry wouldn’t do anything to steer his son away from his dream.
 
“We never did because that’s what he wanted to do,” Kerry says. “We did question him about it: ‘Are you sure that’s what you want to do? Are you positive?’ We delayed it as much as we could just to make sure that’s what he really wanted to do.
 
“I don’t want to direct him in a direction and regret later. Things like that always come back and bite you, so we’ll support him and do what I can to help him further his career.”

Jeffrey knew from the first time he took the wheel of a race car that he wanted to be a driver. He had just turned 15, and a friend had a Yugo that he let Jeffrey drive in a startup division at Wythe Raceway, a half-mile dirt track in Virginia.
 
“I got to go out there and bang fenders with guys,” Jeffrey says. “I ran my first race, and I was like, ‘This is awesome. This is what I want to do.’ My whole family has done it, and I see why they loved it.”
 
Two years ago, Jeffrey participated in a General Motors development program, turning heads. He signed as a development driver with Dale Earnhardt Inc. and competed in the Camping World East Series.
 
Jeffrey was supposed to drive in a handful of Nationwide Series races last year for DEI, but the economy took a nosedive, and DEI couldn’t find enough sponsorship – even for an Earnhardt.
 
DEI still has several Nationwide cars, and with the association with Ware’s team, Jeffrey will use DEI equipment. Kerry, too, will race with Ware, and three Earnhardts – Dale Jr., Kerry and Jeffrey – are slated to race together at Atlanta Motor Speedway later this year.
 
Ware’s is one of the smaller teams in the series, but that could be a good thing for Jeffrey. No one expects him to run in the top 10 with Ware.
 
“Having DEI over you, there’s a lot of expectations, whether you’re the grandson of a great or Kerry’s son,” Ware said. “Those expectations would not be quite as great driving for Rick Ware Racing.”
 
Ware hopes the seven races this season turns into a full-time run for the Raybestos Rookie title in 2010, perhaps running against Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon. Dillon is the grandson of team owner Richard Childress, for whom Dale Earnhardt drove for most of his career.
 
“I really believe this is the start of something fantastic,” Ware says. “I was looking desperately to find something to work toward the future. To have somebody who would be eligible to run for rookie of the year in 2010 is very exciting. To be able to do it with the horsepower – both literally and figuratively – behind you is great.”
 
Of course, running Jeffrey full time is dependent on many factors, including sponsorship and whether Jeffrey is even ready.
 
“I was pretty curious as to how Jeffrey was doing and what his opportunities were, so I think that’s good for him,” Earnhardt Jr. says. “I’m excited for him, and I hope he makes the best of it. … But hopefully Jeffrey just makes the best of it. He has a small window to produce an ability and earn a living in this sport, and he has to understand how precious those opportunities are.”
 
Jeffrey seems to have that understanding. He’s well aware of who he is, and perhaps more importantly, who he is not. He understands the chance with Ware’s team is about learning, about getting experience, about making laps.
 
It’s not about making a name for himself, because he already has that.
 
“It’s a good deal, me running under Rick Ware Racing,” Jeffrey says. “It’s not putting all that pressure on me. I’m not in a big-time [Nationwide] ride. I’m not stuck in Joey [Logano’s] position, getting in the 20 car [for Joe Gibbs Racing] and expected to win. It’s a good situation for me.
 
“Of course, as a driver, I’m going to do the best I can and try and get those top-10, top-15 finishes.”