Bar none, Whisky River is Earnhardt Jr.'s favorite
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – There are no race cars hanging from the ceiling, and country music is only a small part of the background noise. Metal and leather decor dominate.
Whisky River, located in downtown Charlotte’s EpiCentre, is Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s latest venture outside the racing world.
Earnhardt Jr., the majority owner, describes the bar/nightclub as “Carolina country” but doesn’t want it to be thought of as a strictly
country hangout.
“Basically ... if I’m sitting in a bar, and I’m not having a good time, this is everything that I would change,” he said. “This is how I would
make it.”
That includes a large dance floor, plenty of TV screens (that will show various areas of the bar), a mechanical bull and fiber optic lighting on the bars themselves.
Already immersed in television (Hammerhead Entertainment) and race-track development (Alabama Motorsports Park), Whisky River is yet another extension of his life – and interests – away from the track.
And while he hopes it will be a success, Earnhardt Jr. says such endeavors interest him for more than just the potential financial gain.
“I’ve never went into anything like this thinking: ‘Man, we’ve got to make this much money .... If I break even, and have a good time, then it’s worth it,” he said. “That’s the way I’ve always treated everything. That’s why I don’t make any money owning Nationwide cars. If I can just break even, I’m happy just to be able to enjoy it.”
When he does eventually step out of the race car, Earnhardt Jr. says he’d like to have options to occupy his time.
“Hopefully you do find that one that helps you establish what you want financially after you retire from driving a race car,” he said. “If I’m going to race until I’m 50 – I don’t want to push my luck, but I’d like to think I’m going to live to a pretty old age. So it would be nice to have some other things going on, some other things I’m involved in. Because what do I have after I’m done driving? What do you do? What are you supposed to do?
“I guess you do things you want, things that interest you. So I’m sort of lining those things up. ... Some of them will be gone by then, but maybe there will be one that sticks around and is still working and profitable. Hopefully that’s the case.”
The bar is named after the popular Willie Nelson song of the same name – but different spelling – and is the name of the western town Earnhardt Jr. had built on his property in Mooresville, N.C.
“When we were planning, and starting to build this, I was with [sponsor] Budweiser, and I couldn’t name it Whisky River,” he said.
“... When we parted ways with Bud, it was like, ‘Man, we’ve got to do Whisky River. It’s such a cool name. We had these other names, something Junior, Junior something. That sounds cheesy as hell. I don’t want that. People want to go to Whisky River. They don’t want to go to Junior’s Bar or Junior’s Garage. That’s just not my style. I don’t wear my name on my belt.
“I think Whisky River gives the bar an identity. It gives the bar a personality that I can’t give it. It’s got to have a life of its own.”
