Dale Earnhardt Jr. explains the root of his jewelry phobia

When appearing on the Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday, Dale Earnhardt Jr. mentioned a jewelry phobia.

The topic came up when the possibility of a future wedding with girlfriend Amy Reimann was broached. At first it was easy to think that the phobia was a joke about the fear of getting married. But on Thursday, Junior said his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller is the reason for why he’s scared of jewelry.

My sister used to chase me around the house with necklaces and stuff,” Junior said via NBC Sports. “It’s creepy to me.

“(Earnhardt Miller) made it worse. She definitely antagonized me and terrorized me when I was younger.”

It clearly hasn’t strained the relationship between the two as Earnhardt Miller co-owns JR Motorsports with her brother. But Junior doesn’t like to wear jewelry and has been upfront with Reimann about it.

“I’ve told her my phobia and let her choose what she wanted to do,” Junior said. “We’ve talked about it. I’m not going to be held accountable (for wearing a ring), and she can do whatever she wants. I figure if we ever get to that step in life, I owe her that much. I’ll have to put up with that.”

Junior, who turned 40 in 2014, said he’s used to all the wedding inquiries at this point. And no, there has been no announcement of any future plans.

His phobia is also why Reimann doesn’t wear much jewelry publicly.

“It is!” Junior said via USA Today when his sister explanation was doubted after he revealed it. “I can be in the same room with it and it doesn’t bother me on other people, but if you watch Amy, she doesn’t really ever wear any. That’s a dead giveaway.”