After qualifying 11th, Ross beat Buddy Baker to the line by more than a lap, thus making him the first and still the only Canadian to have ever won a Winston Cup event.
At that time, Earl was the first rookie to win a Grand National race since Shorty Rollins accomplished the feat in 1958.
The victory helped Ross win the Winston Cup Rookie of the Year in 1974.
He also participated in regular Friday night racing at Delaware Speedway before his ultimate retirement in the late 1990s.
Ross, a resident of Ailsa Craig, Ontario, died on September 18, 2014, at the age of 73.