Ralph Earnhardt facts for kids

Ralph Lee Earnhardt (February 23, 1928 – September 26, 1973) was an American stock car racer. He was a very important person in the Earnhardt racing family. Ralph was the father of Dale Earnhardt, who won the NASCAR Cup Series seven times. He was also the grandfather of other famous racers like Kerry Earnhardt, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, and Dale Earnhardt Jr..

Ralph Earnhardt is known as one of NASCAR's most successful drivers. He won over 350 races that were approved by NASCAR. Besides being a great driver, he also helped and taught other racers. He was very good at building cars and engines. He even built cars for his rivals! He also helped and guided Bobby Isaac, who later became a NASCAR Hall of Famer.

Early Life and Racing Start

A replica of Ralph Earnhardt's race car.

Ralph Earnhardt came from a German family. For many years, he worked in a cotton mill in North Carolina. Racing was one of the few ways to improve his life. Ralph began his racing journey on dirt tracks. He was famous for keeping his car in excellent shape during every race.

He started racing in 1949. By 1953, racing became his full-time job. Ralph got his start when someone asked him to help build a racing engine. He ended up driving the car and finished well in his very first race. An early helper for Ralph was Red Vogt, who gave him good engines and advice.

Championship Wins and NASCAR Debut

In 1955, Ralph Earnhardt finished second in the NASCAR Sportsman National Standings. The next year, in 1956, he won the Sportsman National championship. He won 34 out of 76 races that year!

Ralph made his first start in the NASCAR Grand National race in November 1956. This race was at Hickory. He started from the very front, winning the pole position. He led most of the race. However, there was some confusion with the scoring at the end. The crowd thought Ralph had won, and they were upset when another driver, Speedy Thompson, was named the winner. Ralph, who raced at Hickory often, calmed the crowd down.

After his great performance at Hickory, Ralph got an offer to race for a big team, Holman-Moody Ford, in 1957. But he said no. He didn't want to travel so much and be away from his family. He was also making good money as a Sportsman driver.

More Racing Success

In 1957, Ralph raced in eight Grand National events for Lee Petty Engineering. His best finish was seventh place. In 1958, he finished second in the National Sportsman Championship again.

In 1959, NASCAR created a new division called Limited Sportsman. Ralph won over 60 races in this division and became the NASCAR Limited Sportsman Champion. He was very smart about building cars. He was one of the first to understand and use "tire stagger." This means using tires of slightly different sizes to help the car turn better.

Ralph was very prepared for races. He had five different race cars: two for asphalt tracks, two for dirt tracks, and one Modified car. He won the Hickory track championship for the fifth time in 1959. He won 22 out of 24 races there! Because he won so much, the track told him he couldn't race there anymore. They said he was winning too often and it was affecting how many people came to watch.

In 1960, Ralph won the NASCAR Limited Sportsman championship again. He won over 50 races that season.

Grand National Races and Later Career

During the 1961 Daytona 500, Ralph was asked to drive for Cotton Owens. He helped the team finish in fifth place. This led to him driving more races for Owens in the 1961 Grand National season. He finished third at the Atlanta 500, but he believed he should have won. Ralph also led 75 laps in the 1961 World 600 race. In 1961, he had his best Grand National season, finishing 17th in points.

Ralph raced in 33 more Grand National races between 1962 and 1964. After that, he went back to racing full-time in the Sportsman series. By 1967, he was the champion in South Carolina. He also won championships at Columbia Speedway and Greenville-Pickens Speedway.

In 1969, Ralph stopped racing in NASCAR. He started racing at local tracks like Metrolina and Concord. He was tired of driving long distances to races. From 1969 to 1972, he won four championships in a row at Metrolina and Concord. In 1972, he even raced against his son, Dale Earnhardt, at Metrolina Speedway. Ralph Earnhardt won a total of 350 NASCAR races across different series.

Health and Passing

In early 1973, Ralph Earnhardt had heart problems. This made him partly retire from racing. While he was recovering, another driver, Stick Elliott, drove Ralph's cars and won several races. Ralph returned to driving in the summer and won two more races at Concord Speedway.

Ralph Earnhardt passed away on September 26, 1973, at the age of 45. He died from a heart attack at his home. His son, Dale Earnhardt, later said that his father had worked very hard. Dale believed that all the hard work and worry from racing might have caused the strain on his heart.

Legacy and Honors

Ralph Earnhardt has received many honors for his amazing racing career:

• In 1989, he was added to the National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame.
• In 1997, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
• In 1998, he was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers.
• In 2004, he was inducted into the Oceanside Rotary Club of Daytona Beach Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame.
• In 2007, he was inducted into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame.
• In 2023, he was named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers.