Ralph Earnhardt

Ralph Earnhardt
Born	February 23, 1928(1928-02-23) Kannapolis, North Carolina
Died	September 26, 1973(1973-09-26) (aged 45)
Cause of death	Heart attack
Awards	1956 NASCAR Sportsman champion 1989 inductee in the National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame 1997 International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee 1998 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
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
51 races run over 6 years
Best finish	17th – 1961 (Grand National)
First race	1956 Buddy Shuman 250 (Hickory)
Last race	1964 unnamed race (Concord)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 16 1

Ralph Lee Earnhardt (February 23, 1928 – September 26, 1973) was a NASCAR driver. He was the father of Dale Earnhardt, the grandfather of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kerry Earnhardt, and great grandfather of Jeffrey Earnhardt. Earnhardt helped get Bobby Isaac his start in racing.

Background

Ralph Earnhardt replica car

Ralph was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina to Effie Mae Barber (August 30, 1895 - September, 1979) and John Henderson Earnhardt (September 24, 1888 - April, 1976). 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 and was found on the kitchen floor by his wife, Martha.

Racing career

Earnhardt began racing in 1949, and in 1953 it became his full-time occupation.

In 1956, he won the NASCAR Sportsman Championship, and was runner-up in 1955 and third in 1957. In 1967, he was the reigning South Carolina state champion, and track champion at Columbia Speedway and Greenville-Pickens Speedway.

He won the pole and finished second in his first Grand National (now Sprint Cup) race in 1956 at Hickory Speedway. In 1961, Ralph had his highest finish by finishing 17th in the Grand National point standings. 1961 also saw Ralph fill in as a relief driver for Cotton Owens in the Daytona 500, running more than 300 miles and finishing 5th.

Ralph Earnhardt was the first car builder/driver to understand and use tire stagger.

In media

Ralph Earnhardt died at the age of 45 on September 26, 1973 from a heart attack and was found on the kitchen floor by his wife Martha. It has been a long standing 'urban legend' that he died in his garage and was found by his son Dale.

In the film 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story, Ralph Earnhardt was portrayed by J. K. Simmons. The film portrayed Earnhardt's death as the urban legend dictated, where Dale (Barry Pepper) found him dead of a heart attack in the garage.