Earnhardt, Ralph, 1928-1973

Ralph Lee Earnhardt (February 23, 1928 – September 26, 1973) was an American stock car racer and patriarch of the Earnhardt racing family. He was the father of 7 time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt, grandfather of Kerry Earnhardt, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Taylor Earnhardt Putnam and great grandfather of Bobby Dale Earnhardt and Jeffrey Earnhardt. Earnhardt helped give Bobby Isaac his start in racing.

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 Series race in 1956 at Hickory Speedway. In 1961, Earnhardt had his highest finish by finishing 17th in the Grand National point standings. 1961 also saw Earnhardt fill in as a relief driver for Cotton Owens in the Daytona 500, running more than 300 miles and finishing 5th.Earnhardt was the first car builder/driver to understand and use the tire stagger. In 1972, he raced his son Dale Earnhardt at Metrolina Speedway in a race with cars from semi mod and sportsman divisions. Earnhardt won 350 NASCAR races in different series.