Dale Earnhardt Jr. Welcomes New Baby

Dale Earnhardt is officially a father. The NASCAR driver’s wife, Amy Earnhardt, took to Twitter to announce the arrival of their first child, daughter Isla Rose Earnhardt.

“She’s finally here! [Earnhardt Jr.] and I are officially parents to a beautiful baby girl, Isla Rose Earnhardt. It feels like a dream. The best dream ever,” she wrote of their new bundle of joy, adding a pink hearts emoji.

Isla is the first child for the couple, with Earnhardt Jr. saying on the Dan Patrick Show last month that he was thrilled to become a dad at age 43.

“I just can’t wait til she gets here, I can’t wait to meet her,” he said. “During the tour the other day, they took us into one of the rooms and they showed us where the delivery room is and they’ve got that little table there and damn, I about choked up just doing that. The baby ain’t even here and I’m looking at this little table and I’m getting choked up like she’s here.”

“It’s going to be an incredible experience,” he added.

Earnhardt Jr. announced via social media in October that they were expecting a baby girl.

“Excited to share the wonderful news that [Amy Earnhardt] and I are expecting our first child. A little girl!!!! We are both thrilled and can’t wait to meet her,” he wrote in the caption of an Instagram photo showcasing a pair of tiny pink shoes.

He had 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.com. “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 in 2017, Earnhardt 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.

He 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.

The couple tied the knot on New Year’s Eve of 2016.

Days before baby Isla made her big entrance, Earnhardt Jr. paid tribute to his late father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., on Sunday with a throwback photo of the racing legend.

“Happy birthday to the biggest badass that ever drove a racecar,” Earnhardt Jr. wrote on Twitter. His father would be celebrating his 67th birthday were he still alive.

Earnhardt Sr. died at the age of 49 in 2001 in the final lap of the Daytona 500 when he collided with fellow driver Sterling Martin. His car hit the outside wall, and doctors pronounced him dead instantly due to blunt force trauma to the head. This year marked the 17th anniversary of his passing.

Earnhardt Sr. was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010. He finished his career with seven NASCAR Cup Series championships and 76 career wins over 27 years in the circuit. His son had an impressive racing career of his own, finishing with 26 career wins in a 19-year career before retiring last year. He won the same race that took his father’s life in 2004 and 2014.