Ghosts of Southern Dirt Tracks

Ralph Earnhardt

UPDATE: Ralph Earnhardt has been voted into the Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in Florence, KY. The induction ceremony was held in early August. His wife Martha attended as did his children and several of his grandchildren. This is quite the honor and well deserved in my opinion. The "Master of the Carolina Dirt Tracks" belongs in the Hall of Fame and now he will be there.

Just a few miles from my little home town off Poplar Tent Road lies some sacred ground. Where they say on a warm summer Saturday night you can here them old cars if the winds blowin right. And you can see the dust rise from the Carolina clay and a red number eight on white Chevrolet. - Daniel Sechler

Ralph Earnhardt - The father of Dale, grandfather to Kerry and Dale Jr. But so much more than that. 1956 NASCAR Sportsman (now Busch Grand National) series champion and short track terror; Ralph built his own cars as well as cars for other drivers. And he could drive better that just about anybody.

Ralph had been very sucessful on tracks all over the south such as Hickory Speedway, Greenville-Pickens Fairgrounds raceway, etc. In the late 1960s he decided to stay close to home so he started racing at Concord Speedway and Metrolina Speedway. And he was just as sucessful as he had been in NASCAR. Track championships and 20-30 wins a year was the norm for Ralph. When a heart attack slowed him down in 1972, he hired local "hotshoe" Stick Elliott to drive one of his cars. Ralph still raced and won until another heart attack took his life in September 1973.

Ironically, Dale was to make his Sportsman close debut the week his father passed away. So except for a few races in which Dale was filling out the field in a lower division car the two never got to race together. At least not on earthly tracks.

	The Master of the Carolina Dirt Tracks - Ralph Earnhardt. He is standing behind his Camaro at his garage in Kannapolis, NC. Thanks to Herman Shimpock for the photo		Ralph's 55 Chevy ready to race at Concord
	Ralph's Camaro sitting beside the house in Kannapolis, NC. That was a race car! Thanks to Herman Shimpock for the photo		Ralph on the inside, Johnny Miller behind in the #3
	During the annual race weekend parade in Concord, Ralph would pull his car in the parade. Here is his Camaro. The parade would be the Saturday of the National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.		Race weekend parade again, this time Ralph has his Chevelle in tow.
	A photo from a Concord Speedway program shows Ralph, Dale, & Randy with Ralph's 55 Chevrolet.		From an old magazine article, here is Ralph in the same car on the track at Concord Speedway.
	From a Concord Speedway program, Ralph after a win on a rare afternoon race.		Ralph's #8 from 56 Wadesboro Speedway

If you have dirt track memories to share, contact me @ bob@webprosolutions.com