Bristol Motor Speedway officials announced today the 2026 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Scholarship is open to students at select high schools, colleges and universities who are pursuing higher education degrees in one of three fields: automotive technology; hospitality and tourism; or communications and broadcasting.
Created by Bristol Motor Speedway in 2017 as a retirement gift to Earnhardt Jr., the annual scholarship awards the winning student a one-time payment of $2,088 to assist with any college costs including tuition, housing, books and supplies.
“This award is always special to our Bristol team because it connects Dale Jr.’s legacy here at Bristol with students pursuing their own dreams,” said Jerry Caldwell, president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway. “Through this scholarship, we have the opportunity to support students from our region and from UNOH as they prepare for careers connected to our sport and industry. It’s a meaningful way for us to celebrate their hard work, invest in their futures and give them a Bristol moment they’ll never forget.”
Applications are being accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 19, 2026. The winner will be announced and celebrated Friday, Sept. 18 during the pre-race ceremonies for the Food City 300 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race, which features race cars owned by Earnhardt Jr. in competition.
To apply for the $2,088 scholarship, please fill out the online application here: https://www.bristolmotorspeedway.com/scholarship/
Applications may also be submitted via email to: [email protected]
Past winners of the BMS Dale Earnhardt Jr. Scholarship are Jaicee Weaver (2018) and Jace Ketron (2019), both of Tennessee High School in Bristol, Tenn.; Caleb James Cate (2021) of Knoxville, Tenn., who attended UNOH; John Clavier (2022) of Elizabethton, Tenn. and Chloe Holman (2022) of Essex, Mo., who attended UNOH; Jamie Sullivan (2023) of Charlotte, N.C., who attended UNOH and Kaleb Kent (2023) of Happy Valley High School in Elizabethton, Tenn.; Trea’zure Cassidy (2024) of Science Hill High School in Johnson City and Hannah Kelsheimer (2024) of Oswego, Illinois, who attended UNOH; and Gavin Shoun (2025) of Unaka High School in Unaka, Tenn.
To be eligible, students must be a senior at one of the 27 designated high schools or attending one of the nine designated colleges and universities in the Appalachian Highlands region surrounding Bristol Motor Speedway or a student at the speedway’s official partnering institution, the University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) in Lima, Ohio.
The 27 designated high schools are Abingdon High School; Cherokee High School; Chuckey-Doak High School; Clinch School; Cloudland High School; Daniel Boone High School; David Crockett High School; Dobyns-Bennett High School; Elizabethton High School; Greeneville High School; Hampton High School; Happy Valley High School; Holston High School; John S. Battle High School; Johnson County High School; North Greene High School; Patrick Henry High School; Tennessee High School; Science Hill High School; South Greene High School; Sullivan East High School; Unaka High School; Unicoi County High School; Virginia High School; Volunteer High School; West Greene High School; and West Ridge High School.
The nine designated higher educational institutions are East Tennessee State University; Emory & Henry College; King University; Milligan University; Northeast State Technical Community College; Tennessee College of Applied Technology, Elizabethton; Tusculum University; the University of Virginia’s College at Wise or the University of Northwestern Ohio.
Earnhardt Jr. is an American professional stock car racing driver, champion team owner, businessman, NASCAR analyst, and 2022 inductee into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. He won a record 15 straight NASCAR Most Popular Driver awards from 2003 to 2017, consecutive NASCAR Busch Series Championships in 1998 and 1999 and the prestigious Daytona 500 in 2004 and 2014. In addition to race coverage, Earnhardt hosts The Dale Jr. Download, a weekly interview program focused on motorsports. Voted by fans as NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver for an unprecedented 15 consecutive years (2003-17), Earnhardt, a 26-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series including two Daytona 500s, is a third-generation driver who followed his legendary father Dale Earnhardt Sr., and his grandfather, Ralph Earnhardt, into the sport. As a team owner, Earnhardt founded and manages JR Motorsports, which fields four full-time entries in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Last year, JR Motorsports qualified for the team’s first Cup Series event. In the summer of 2020, Earnhardt was selected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
He solidified his connection with the Bristol Motor Speedway fanbase when he dramatically swept America’s Night Races in 2004 and famously declared, “It’s Bristol, Baby!” in Victory Lane during a television interview after winning Saturday night’s Cup race. That phrase lives on in a monument in the track’s North Lot.
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race weekend features three nights of electrifying NASCAR Chase action under the lights including Saturday night’s Cup post-season race, the Bass Pro Shops Night Race (7:30 p.m., USA Network, PRN Radio). The weekend also includes the Food City 300 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase race on Friday night, Sept. 18 (7:30 p.m., The CW and PRN Radio). The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will get the Chase fun started on Thursday night, Sept. 17, with the running of the UNOH 250 presented by Ohio Logistics (8 p.m., FS1 and PRN Radio). The ARCA Menards Series will open Thursday’s racing to make it a doubleheader night when the future stars of the sport compete in the Bush’s Beans 200 (5:30 p.m., FS1).
To purchase tickets or obtain more information about the race weekend, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com or call (866) 415-4158.
