- Ralph Earnhardt
Infobox NASCAR driver
Name = Ralph Earnhardt|
Birthdate = birth date|1928|2|23
Died = death date and age|1973|9|26|1928|2|23
Birthplace = Kannapolis,North Carolina
Cause of Death = Heart attack
Best_Cup_Pos = 17th - 1961 (Grand National)
Cup_Top_Tens = 16
Cup_Poles = 1
First_Cup_Race = 1956Buddy Shuman 250 (Hickory)
Last_Cup_Race = 1964 unnamed race (Concord)
Awards = 1956 NASCAR Sportsman champion1989 inductee in the
National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame 1997
International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee1998 Named one of
NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers 2004 inductee in the Oceanside Rotary Club of Daytona Beach Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame
2007 inductee in the
National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame [ [http://www.dirtlatemodelhalloffame.com/News%202006%20Dec%2026.htm NDLMHOF Announces 2007 Class] , written by Bill Holder onDecember 26 ,2006 ,National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame , RetrievedMarch 14 2007 ]
Years_In_Cup = 6
Total_Cup_Races = 51Ralph Lee Earnhardt (
February 23 ,1928 —September 26 ,1973 ) was aNASCAR racing legend. He was the father ofDale Earnhardt , the grandfather ofDale Earnhardt, Jr. andKerry Earnhardt , and great grandfather ofJeffrey Earnhardt .Background
Ralph was born in
Kannapolis, North Carolina to Effie Mae Barber and John Henderson Earnhardt. [ [http://www.wargs.com/other/earnhardt.html Ancestry of Dale Earnhardt Jr ] ] He spent many years working in a cotton mill in North Carolina. One of the only ways out of this poor living was racing. Ralph started his racing career on dirt tracks where he was famous for keeping his car in top condition throughout each race. Ralph died of a heart attack in the kitchen and found by his wife Martha. His death was portrayed inaccurately in the ESPN movie "3" where his death occurred in the garage and Dale Earnhardt Sr. found him on the floor just after it happened.Racing career
In 1956, he won the NASCAR Sportsman Championship. He had a second place finish in his first Grand National (now Sprint Cup) race in 1956. In 1961, Ralph had his highest finish by finishing 17th in the Grand National point standings.
Ralph Earnhardt was the first car builder/driver to understand and use
tire stagger . [ [http://www.stockcarhalloffame.oceansiderotary.org/R_Earnhardt.htm Biography at the Daytona Beach Stockcar Hall of Fame] ]Ralph Earnhardt died at the age of 45 on
September 26 ,1973 from a heart attack. [ [http://motorsportshalloffame.com/halloffame/1997/Ralph_Earnhardt_main.htm Biography] at theInternational Motorsports Hall of Fame ]Trivia
In the film "", Ralph Earnhardt was portrayed by
J. K. Simmons .Footnotes
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