Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Mother Dies After Fight With Cancer

Brenda Jackson, mother of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and a longtime employee at JR Motorsports alongside her daughter Kelley Earnhardt Miller, has died following a battle with cancer. She was 65.

HOMESTEAD, FL - NOVEMBER 17: Tyler Reddick, driver of the #9 BurgerFi Chevrolet, Kelley Earnhardt Miller and Dale Earnhardt Jr. pose with the trophy in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 17, 2018 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

The team announced her death Monday.

Jackson was the daughter of NASCAR fabricator Robert Gee, who built cars for various racers including the late Dale Earnhardt. She married Earnhardt in 1972, had two children, and Dale Jr. and Kelley remained with their mother when the couple separated, and Earnhardt chased a career in NASCAR.

DARLINGTON, SC - SEPTEMBER 3: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Sr. pose for a photograph after the Pepsi Southern 500 at the Darlington Raceway on September 3, 2000 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Craig Jones/Getty Images)

After a fire left the trio homeless, Jackson moved to Virginia and Dale Jr. and Kelley relocated to live with their father. She married Norfolk firefighter Willie Jackson in 1985 and returned to North Carolina to work with Kelley and Dale Jr. Jackson joined the race team owned by her two children as an accounting specialist in 2004. Dale Earnhardt was killed in a crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

Jackson was a staunch supporter of her son's decision to retire from full-time racing because of concussions, and she was a tireless supporter of The Dale Jr. Foundation and other charitable efforts.

CHARLOTTE, NC - APRIL 25: Rick Hendrick looks on as Dale Earnhardt Jr. answers questions from the media during a press conference to announce his retirement from NASCAR after the 2017 season at the Hendrick Motorsports Team Center on April 25, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)

She is survived by her husband, two children, a stepdaughter, six grandchildren, and two brothers.

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