Ralph Earnhardt

A skilled craftsman, he built cars and engines for his competitors and served as a teammate and mentor to future NASCAR Hall of Famer, Bobby Isaac.

I ran third in the heat race the first time I got on a track then won the consolation and finished fourth in the main event.

"[5] An early mentor of Earnhardt's was Red Vogt who helped him get a good engine and gave advice.

He was serving as a replacement for Fireball Roberts who was committed to racing in a Grand National event at Willow Springs International Motorsports Park on that same day.

Earnhardt won the pole position as the race's fastest qualifier in his debut, but trailed Speedy Thompson for much of the event.

On the final lap, the flagman incorrectly waved the white flag for Earnhardt, showing him as the leader, before being corrected by a fellow scorer.

As Earnhardt competed at the track weekly, the crowd erupted into a near-riot as it was believed the popular driver had been robbed of a win in his Grand National debut.

Soda bottles were thrown onto the track before Earnhardt addressed the crowd by microphone and declared he was satisfied with the scoring explanation.

[7] As a result of his performance at Hickory, Earnhardt received an offer from the Holman-Moody Ford factory-backed team to run on the Grand National circuit in 1957.

[8] Earnhardt turned down the offer, reportedly due to the travel involved, being away from his family, and the money he was making as a Sportsman driver.

[9] In mid-1957, Earnhardt entered Grand National competition driving for Lee Petty Engineering, replacing the recently departed Tiny Lund.

[10] Earnhardt won the Hickory track championship for the fifth time in 1959, winning 22 of 24 races he entered.

"[5] In 1960, Earnhardt repeated as NASCAR's Limited Sportsman champion, and won over 50 races that season.

Earnhardt returned to driving in the summer and won a pair of races at Concord Speedway on June 23 and July 7.

[19] Dale Earnhardt later explained, "Dad had been in the hospital with heart trouble and he was on blood thinners and pills and a special diet.

[22] In 1989, Earnhardt was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame at Darlington, South Carolina.

In 2004, he was inducted in the Oceanside Rotary Club of Daytona Beach Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame.