FANTASY NASCAR Racin

is best remembered for his comeback after a serious head injury at Michigan International Speedway which earned him numerous awards and respect from his fellow drivers. He is inducted in numerous halls of fame and was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998. Irvan began his racing career driving karts in California in 1968 at the age of nine. He won the California Championship at the age of 15. From then until 1981 Ernie raced every weekend at Madera and Stockton, CA, winning numerous feature events. He missed his high school graduation ceremony to race at Riverside, CA. In 1982, Irvan left California with $700 in his pocket and everything he owned loaded into his pickup truck and a homemade trailer, and he headed east to North Carolina. Irvan supported himself in Charlotte, NC. by welding grandstand seats at Charlotte Motor Speedway, unloaded Ken Schrader's moving van, built race cars, and other odd jobs. Before long, Irvan made his NASCAR Cup debut on September 13 at Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway driving the #56 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. The car, built and prepared by Irvan and Reno, was sponsored by Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet. Irvan qualified 20th but was sidelined after 35 laps after the car's engine overheated. In 1988, Irvan made a bid at NASCAR Rookie of the Year, driving DK Ulrich's #2 Kroger Chevrolets and Pontiacs. Irvan competed in 25 of the 29 Cup Series events, losing Rookie-of-the-Year honors to Ken Bouchard by three points. He moved over to Morgan-McClure Motorsports' (MMM) #4 Kodak Oldsmobile, filling the vacancy left by Phil Parsons. After starting 30th in his first race for the new team (Atlanta in March), Irvan charged to the front and grabbed a 3rd place finish - the first

Top-5 of his career. He won his first NASCAR Cup race in the Busch 500 at Bristol on August 25. Ernie wrapped up the season with three poles, one victory, six Top-5's and 13 Top-10's, winning $535,280 and finishing ninth in the final standings. Irvan continued his tenure with Morgan-McClure in 1993. Irvan's friend Davey Allison died in a helicopter crash on July 12. Irvan wanted to take his place at Robert Yates Racing (RYR) in the #28 Texaco/Havoline Ford. MMM did not want him to, and the result was a nasty lawsuit. Irvan was fired from the ride in the fall, he took over the car at Darlington (September) where he started 10th and finished 5th. Ernie's first victory with RYR came in his 4th start with the team when he won at Martinsville later that same month. Irvan dedicated his victory that day to Allison and then followed that victory two weeks later with one at Charlotte in which he led all but six laps. In

1994, Irvan was a contender for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship throughout the first 20 races of the season. His chase for the championship ended on an early morning Friday practice session at Michigan. According to drivers on the track, a right front tire deflated, sending Irvan's car into the turn two wall at over 170 miles per hour. Emergency workers at the track extricated him from the car, and he was immediately airlifted to Saint Joseph's Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was diagnosed with critical brain and lung injuries and given only a 10% chance of surviving the night. Irvan clung to life for the

first two days. By early September, Irvan was listed in "fair" condition and was removed from ventilator support. A few weeks later he was deemed well enough to be transferred to the Charlotte Institute of Rehabilitation in Charlotte. Less than two months later, at the gala NASCAR Awards Banquet in New York, Irvan walked on stage at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel's Grand Ballroom to receive the True Value Hard Charger Award. Despite missing the final 11 races at the end of the season, Ernie had still ranked among the top five for the most miles driven. In addition, Ernie tied Geoff Bodine for the most poles won during the season. Throughout the first eight of 1995, Irvan remained focused on returning to Cup racing. He went through rehabilitation and strength training to regain his physical strength. On September 16, NASCAR cleared Irvan for

competition. October 1, he made his return to Winston Cup racing in the 88 Texaco-Havoline Ford of RYR (he could not assume his old ride, as Dale Jarrett had taken it over). After starting in seventh position, he advanced to third by Lap 47 and took the lead on Lap 125. He held the lead for 31 laps and finished on the lead lap in sixth position. 1997 marked his final season driving the Robert Yates Racing Texaco-Havoline Ford. Irvan notched his 15th career win. The victory came in June at Michigan Speedway, the track that nearly claimed his life three years earlier. In 1998, Irvan joined MB2 Motorsports to drive the #36 Skittles Pontiac. During the year he scored 11 Top-10 finishes with three pole positions despite missing the final three races while recovering from injuries suffered at Talladega in October. Irvan finished the se ason 19th in

the Cup points standings, earning $1,476,141. He made his final career Cup start at Watkins Glen. He would start 36th; run a good clean race; but blew a motor after 60 laps and finished 41st. The next race weekend; on August 20, exactly 5 years after his near fatal accident there, Irvan crashed again at Michigan while driving his own #84 Irvan-Simo Federated Auto Parts Pontiac in a practice session for the Xfinity Series race. Ernie was once again airlifted from the track and was diagnosed with a mild head injury and a bruised lung as a result of the accident. Less than two weeks later, on September 3, 1999, surrounded by his wife and two children, Irvan announced his retirement from driving at a tearful press conference in Darlington, SC. While he would fully recover before the end of the 1999

Fantasy NASCAR Racing

VIRGIL EARNEST "ERNIE" IRVAN - 01/13/1959