Ralph Earnhardt Biography

Ralph Lee Earnhardt was born on 23rd February, 1928 in Kannapolis, Cabarrus County in North Carolina, the youngest of four sons, to John Henderson and Effie Mae Earnhardt. The family were part of the farming community and on leaving school Ralph worked in one of the cotton mills for several years. The wages and conditions were poor and one of the ways to get out of the situation was to race.

During his later teens he began to build cars in the family garage with the intention of racing one on the local dirt tracks eventually starting in 1949. In 1953, at the age of twenty five Ralph turned professional and began his quintessential career, making a huge impression in the world of racing very quickly.

His first race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series took place on the 11th of November, 1956 when he finished second to Speedy Thompson in the Grand National (now the Sprint Cup Series) at Hickory Speedway, North Carolina. Also in 1956, he won his first NASCAR Sportsman title, a year in which he gained 32 victories.