Dale Earnhardt Jr. Reveals His Marriage Almost Ended

Dale Earnhardt Jr. opened up about the struggles he and Amy Earnhardt faced early in their marriage, and credited couples therapy with saving their relationship.

During an interview with In Depth host Graham Bensinger, Earnhardt said the two went to couples therapy after they started dating in 2009 to figure out the nature of their relationship.

“Me and Amy were having a hard time figuring out how to make our relationship work… Every day was like grinding gears,” Earnhardt explained. “Just a lot of tension and disagreement and misunderstanding, and there were great times — and then there were days when we would both sort of withdraw and get frustrated with each other and not communicate and hold grudges.”

Earnhardt also took credit for their issues, admitting he was “a really, really immature person” at the time and “didn’t know how to be thoughtful, generous.”

“We had the potential to be great and have a great family together but if we didn’t have [a therapist] I don’t think that we would have met that potential,” the retired NASCAR driver.

Amy said they almost did not get married since Earnhardt did not want to tie the knot. He did not even want to have children. Eventually, Earnhardt changed his mind and the two married on New Year’s Eve 2016. They also welcomed their first child, daughter Isla Rose, on April 30.

This is not the first time Earnhardt has opened up about seeing a therapist. In a February 2017 ESPN The Magazine profile, the couple said they have been seeing a couples therapist named Jane for three years. He also mentioned Jane in the interview with Bensinger.

“Jane was the reason why we were married. Jane is the reason why we’re having a family. And, Jane is the reason why every day is way better,” Earnhardt said.

Earnhardt and Amy met in 2008 when she was working as an interior designer for a firm he hired to build a new house in North Carolina.

Earnhardt, 43, retired last year and joined NBC’s NASCAR coverage as a color commentator.

His book, Racing to the Finish, will be released in October and covers his family and marriage. He also wrote about his fears of developing brain trauma after his racing career, reports PEOPLE. He suffered multiple concussions during his career and said he plans on donating his brain to scientists for study after his death.

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