KEEPING THE SPIRIT ALIVE SINCE 1999
Ralph Earnhardt
23/2/1928 - 26/9/1973
An acknowledged master of North Carolina short tracks, Ralph was the father of Dale Earnhardt, and the grandfather of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kerry Earnhardt. He raced sparingly in NASCAR's elite division. He won NASCAR's Sportsman Division championship in 1956.
Ralph Earnhardt died 48 years ago, he was 45 , He would have been 93.
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Ralph was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina where he spent many years working in a cotton mill. He was the father of Dale Earnhardt, and the grandfather of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kerry Earnhardt. He saw racing as a way to improve the standard of living for him and his family and started out on the dirt tracks where he became famous for his abilty to keep a car in top condition throught a race earning the nickname 'Mr. Consistency'.
Preferred to race four to five times per week near his home rather than endure the hassle of traveling far from home, wife and children. He did, however, drive over 50 races in the Grand National (now Winston Cup) circuit for such renowned car builders as Cotton Owens and Lee Petty.
Though never a champion in NASCAR's Winston Cup Series division, Earnhardt was a driver of extraordinary talent. An acknowledged master of North Carolina short tracks, Earnhardt raced sparingly in NASCAR's elite division during his 23-year career. He won NASCAR's Sportsman Division championship in 1956 and in 1961 posted seven top-10 finishes in eight starts in the NASCAR Winston Cup (now Nextel) Series division, good for 17th in the point standings.
He was the first car builder/driver to understand and use tire stagger.
He died suddenly from a heart attack while working on a race car in his shop.
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Frank Dochnal 1920 - 2010
An American club racer of midgets and sports cars who, aged 43, tried and failed to qualify a Cooper-Climax T51 for the 1963 Mexican Grand Prix. Subsequently he became an Indycar mechanic, worked for Howard Hughes and was a USAC official.
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Bob Said 1932 - 2002
Bob Said started racing in 1952 in the USA but turned his attention to Europe where he raced with Maston Gregory. He raced in the American Grand Prix in 1959 at Sebring, driving Paul Emery's ancient Connaught. He lost everything in 1962 but rebuilt his fortune and took up winter sports, participating in the Winter Olympics in 1968 and 1972 in the bobsleigh event. He then became an Emmy award winning producer. He died of a heart attack while watching the OSCARs on TV. -
Herbert Mackay-Fraser 1927 - 1957
Fraser was a promising American driver who came to Europe to ply his trade but was killed in the Coupe Internationale de Vitesse F2 race at Reims in 1957. -
Bruce Kessler 1926
Kessler was an American driver who shared a car in the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix with a certain B.Ecclestone! He went on to be involved in the trawler and television industries, even acting as a TV director for such notable shows as Knight Rider, The A Team and I Dream of Jeannie. -
Bob Drake 1919 - 1990
Bob Drake was a privateer driver from Los Angeles who raced in the 1950s and early 1960s.