Like so many other great racing drivers, Virgil Earnest Irvan, better known as Ernie Irvin, started driving karts when he was just a kid. He won the California Championship at the age of 15. By 16 he had already switched to stock cars and won his first asphalt race at Stockton 99 Speedway in California. That was just the beginning for Irvin; he made it a point to race every weekend at Madera and Stockton and was no stranger to victory lane. He even missed his own high school graduation to run at Riverside.
In 1982, Irvin headed to the heart of race country: North Carolina. He left California with just $700 in his pocket, but made a pit stop in Las Vegas and ended up with $200 more. Arriving in Charlotte, he supported himself by doing odd jobs, most of which centered around the race track. He did some welding on grandstand seats at Charlotte Motor Speedway, built race cars and unloaded Ken Schrader’s moving van.
Irvin’s Winston Cup racing debut was in 1987 at Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway driving the #56 Chevy Monte Carlo sponsored by Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet. He was nominated for Rookie of the Year in 1988, but lost to Ken Bouchard by three points in the closest battle in Cup history. In 1991, Irvin won the sport’s most prestigious race: the Daytona 500. Just four years earlier, he had watched the race on a small black-and-white television while working at a car wash to support his family and his early career.
Irvin began to develop a very aggressive driving style and earned the nickname “Swerving Irvan” from his fellow drivers. Some of his controversial maneuvers led to a televised apology at one of the drivers’ meetings before a race. Irvin was driving for Morgan McClure Motorsports when his friend Davey Allison was killed in a helicopter crash in 1993. To honor his friend, he wanted to take over Davey’s car at Robert Yates Racing but MMM didn’t want to let him go free and a nasty fight would soon follow. demand. He wound up taking the #28 Texaco/Havoline Ford after being fired by MMM and made it to the winner’s circle in just his fourth start with RYR. He dedicated the victory to Davey Allison.
In 1994, Ernie Irvin was in a near-fatal accident when a flat tire sent him into a wall at over 170 mph. He sustained critical brain and lung injuries that left him with only a 10% chance of survival. With medical intervention and therapy, he recovered and was able to go on stage and receive the True Value Hard Charger Award just 2 months after the accident. Irvin’s focus was on a full recovery and getting his strength back and after months of rehabilitation and strength training, NASCAR cleared him to return to the track.
Exactly five years after his near-fatal accident, Irvin hit the wall again in a practice session and was airlifted to the hospital with brain and lung injuries. Less than two weeks after the accident, with his wife and two children by his side, he tearfully announced his retirement. As of 2007, Irvin was still involved in racing, serving as crew chief for his son Jared’s quarter-dwarf team. Today he promotes Race2safety, a foundation he started that advocates for head injury awareness and prevention, especially in children.
