Successful businesswoman and daughter of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Sr. shares her story of growing up in the world of auto racing and the lessons she learned along the way.

Just like a racecar as it takes to the track, each of us needs a certain amount of fine-tuning for our journey through life. In Drive, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, daughter of Dale Earnhardt Sr. and sister to Dale Jr., opens up about growing up in the world of NASCAR, sharing the lessons she learned about being a successful business leader and what she discovered, often the hard way, about winning in life.

Kelley never felt she was winning at anything until she began to deal with the thoughts and feelings that were driving her decisions and taking her in the wrong direction. Her journey of transformation is what empowered her to run the family business in an entirely different way than she had previously and to lead people not only with her head but also with her heart.

Drive offers nine important lessons learned about winning in business and in life, given not as a formula for greatness but as insight from a fellow traveler on a journey that is sometimes difficult, painful, unexpected, or confusing—and sometimes exhilarating and joyful:

Be Authentic and Approachable
Know How to Make Decisions
Position for Success
Let Go to Move Forward
Customize Your Communication
Aim for the Win-Win
Manage Your Emotions
Balance Your Work With Your Life
Lead from the Heart

Become a stronger person and a more effective leader by facing the truth about your own life in a healthy way, and then drive to the win!

Excerpt

Lead from the Heart

Of all the lessons I’ve learned over the course of my life and career, one of the most essential is to lead from the heart— that part of me that runs on passion, intuition, and care for other people. The word heart has several definitions and is used in various ways. Sometimes it refers to an emotion or to the ability to feel emotions, but I’ve already written about handling emotions well, and that’s not what this chapter is about. Sometimes the word heart is associated with softness, sensitivity, or “woman’s intuition,” but I have known many men, starting with my father and including my brother, who also live and lead from the heart.

The word intensity best captures my dad’s heart. Dale is intense, too, especially in a racecar, but he also has a gentle quality about him. Everyone who knows him recognizes him as a man of tremendous heart. His style of leadership is more low- key than Dad’s was, and he’s not as interested in being deeply involved in the business aspects of his career. That’s why he hired me! But he’s a leader in his own unique way, and he always leads from the heart.

Dale and I have similar hearts. That’s one reason we work so well together. We both value integrity and honesty; we both respect others; we both have soft spots for people in need; we’re both committed to family; we share a passion for the things that make NASCAR unique; and we’re both driven to do all we can to see our JRM teams win races.

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About the Author

Kelley Earnhardt Miller is part owner and general manager of JR Motorsports and is considered one of the most prominent businesswomen in NASCAR today. She oversees the company’s race team, management team, and business ventures for her brother, Dale Earnhardt Jr. The daughter of seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt, Earnhardt Miller graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a BA in business administration. A multiple-award recipient, she was named in 2015 as one of SportsBusiness Journal’s Game Changers/Women in Sports Business for her impact on the motorsports industry. Kelley is married to L.W. Miller and is mom to Karsyn, Kennedy, and Wyatt.

Connect with Kelley: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram