Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Wife Expecting First Child

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his wife Amy are expecting their first child. The professional race car driver took to Instagram on Monday to share the exciting news that he and his wife are preparing to welcome a baby girl.

“Excited to share the wonderful news that @mrsamyearnhardt and I are expecting our first child. A little girl!!!! We are both thrilled and can’t wait to meet her,” Earnhardt Jr. wrote in the caption.

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The 43-year-old has previously spoken out about being ready to become a father and “start a family” after his upcoming retirement from NASCAR.

“I’m excited to start a family, and I hope I’m fortunate enough to do that with Amy,” he said, according to NASCAR. “We definitely want to do that. And it would be weird not being a race car driver if I have a daughter or son, I think about that, would they understand what I’m telling them or what I did for a long time. I’m hoping to find out all that stuff soon.”

During an interview with Fox Sports earlier this year, Dale Jr. explained how he is confident that he and Amy will be “awesome parents.”

“We’d love to have a family. I know it’s a lot of work and certainly changes your life completely. But we’d love to have a family — and I think we’ll be awesome parents,” he said.

Dale Jr. also credits his wife with being a “positive” influence on his life.

“Amy definitely has had a real positive effect on me. She’s affected every part of my life in a good way,” Earnhardt continued.

Dale and Amy tied the knot on New Year’s Eve of 2016.

Photo Credit: Getty / Chris Trotman