The late, great Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s “Area 51” Deer Head Shop has remained untouched for 24 years following his tragic death during the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Dale Sr. is one of NASCAR’s most legendary drivers, winning the joint-most championships (7) alongside Jimmie Johnson and Richard Petty.

His death marked a sport-changing tragedy, with NASCAR revamping its driver safety in the aftermath of the fatal Daytona crash. Dale Sr. left behind four children: Kerry from his first wife, Latane Brown; Kelly and Dale Jr. from his second wife, Brenda Gee; and Taylor Nicole from his last wife, and widow, Teresa Earnhardt.

NASCAR and the Earnhardt family have fought hard to continue Dale Sr.’s legacy in the sport – but that also came at the cost of fractured relationships between widow Teresa and Dale Sr.’s three oldest children, Kerry, Kelly, and Dale Jr. Teresa’s relationship with Kerry soured publicly over a legal battle about the “Earnhardt” name.

In 2016, she sued Kerry to stop him from using “The Earnhardt Collection” as the name for his home and furniture business, arguing it infringed on her control of the family brand. After years of litigation, a court ruled in Kerry’s favor, determining that a surname cannot be trademarked. The dispute deepened the divide between Kerry and Teresa, who have had little to no relationship since.

Tensions between Kelly and Teresa largely stemmed from control over Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) — the race team Dale Sr. built and Teresa ran after his death. Kelly and her brother, Dale Jr., felt shut out of the decision-making process and believed the team’s legacy was mismanaged.

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Kelly, who is known for her business leadership at JR Motorsports, has spoken diplomatically but made it clear that Teresa rejected her and Dale Jr.’s efforts to stay involved with DEI, which further fractured family ties.

The rift between Dale Jr. and Teresa became one of NASCAR’s most public family disputes. After years of driving for DEI, Dale Jr. left the team in 2007 following failed contract negotiations with Teresa, who retained controlling ownership. Junior cited strained communication and differing visions for the organization, and the split effectively ended DEI’s competitive relevance in NASCAR.

While Dale Jr. has said he’s “moved on,” he’s also admitted his relationship with Teresa remains distant. They’ve rarely been seen publicly together since Dale Sr.’s death – but Dale Jr. has renewed hope of a reconciliation.

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The preservation of Dale Sr.’s very own time capsule on DEI property could help take the fractured family on a trip down memory lane. Dale Sr.’s famous Deer Head Shop has remained untouched for 24 years following his tragic passing in the Sunshine State.

It’s unclear what exactly resides inside the shop, but previous pictures have shown a pair of Dale Sr.’s No. 3 cars with the hoods up and young Kenny Wallace in 1993 – eight years before the seven-time champ’s passing.

Longtime family friend and crew member Kevin “Two Beer” Pennell described Dale Sr.’s Deer Head Shop as “Area 51” on Dale Jr.’s Dirty Mo Media podcast. “A lot of people find the deer head shop to be this sort of mythical place. Me and you both spent a lot of time in there,” Dale Jr. said.

“Area 51,” Pennell replied. “You know, it’s my belief that the day Dad died, that door got locked, and maybe there’s a person that’s been in there every now and then to clean it up, but from what I know, it’s untouched,” Dale Jr. added.

Pennell recalled standing in the Deer Head Shop on the Monday after Dale Sr.’s death. “I thought the Monday morning afterwards, you know, I felt really, really lost, like, you know, no different than you would have been,” he said.

“You know, me and Tony Jr. looked at each other and kind of, you know, like, what are we going to do? What do we need? I mean, we just didn’t have an answer.

“We walked across the street and walked in there and sat down. In the deer head shop. In the deer head shop, picnic table. Opened up and had a Yoo-hoo and a pack of cheese crackers.”