Biography: Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. (1951-2001)

Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was born on April 29th, 1951 to Ralph Lee Earnhardt and Martha Coleman. He was born and raised in Kannapolis, North Carolina, a small town just outside Charlotte. His children were Kerry (born on December 8th, 1969), Kelley King (August 28th, 1972), Ralph Dale Jr (October 10th, 1974), and Taylor Nicole (December 20th, 1988).

Earnhardt married Teresa, his wife of twenty years in November of 1982. 

His Racing Career

It’s only natural for most young boys to want to follow in their father’s footsteps, but that was especially true for Dale Earnhardt. His father Ralph was a natural born racer as he regularly participated in Stock Car racing events held all over the Southeast. The more Earnhardt watched his father win races, the more it fueled his aspiration to one-day grip the steering wheel of one of those stock cars. The older he grew, the more determined he became as his passion for racing was apparent.

As a teenager, Earnhardt worked at a local shop welding and mounting tires. After he clocked out of his day job, he would head straight to his garage and work on his race cars. At that time, Earnhardt was racing Hobby-class cars locally as he was supporting his racing career out of his own pocket. Sometimes, Earnhardt had to spend more money than he made, therefore, he had to borrow the funds in order to cover necessary expenses.

Despite being only 17 years old, Earnhardt’s responsibilities were already stacking up. He was married to his first wife and had a son on the way. On December 8th, 1969 Earnhardt’s eldest son Kerry was born. But the financial volatility took a toll on Earnhardt’s marriage and he eventually parted ways with his wife and son.

In 1973, Earnhardt’s father Ralph tragically died of a heart failure in his own garage while working on his race car. His father’s passing really effected him as he was devastated by the loss. Despite the tragic loss, Earnhardt continued to chase his dream of racing stardom as he competed on the Sportsman circuit.