The daughter of the late legend Dale Earnhardt wears many a hat.She's a wife, to crew chief Jimmy Elledge, and a mother, to Karsyn and Kennedy.
She's a patient, still recovering from a surgical operation removing a growth from her pancreas last month.
She is her brother's business partner, advisor and confidant.
Kelley Earnhardt Elledge is also playing one of the biggest roles of her life right now as chief negotiator for NASCAR's most popular driver in this season's face-off between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Inc.
She has quietly become one of NASCAR's most powerful women and she's going head-to-head with another--also an Earnhardt--who just happens to be her stepmother.
Well, almost head-to-head. Teresa Earnhardt has a go-between to do the negotiating on behalf DEI. I imagine that having Max Siegel around is good for family relations.
The Kids Have Spoken
What's at stake is their father's legacy. This time, Kelley isn't negotiating just on behalf of Junior, but also herself. She didn't spare her thoughts Tuesday when she reiterated that they want control of what their late father's company because they're not satisfied with the way it's going:
