On his Instagram story, Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared pictures of his grandfather Ralph’s broken trophies that he won during his time in NASCAR.
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The Earnhardt name is one of the biggest in the sport. It all started with the beginning of Ralph Earnhardt’s racing career in 1946, and his Cup debut in ’56. He never won a race in NASCAR but kickstarted a legacy in the sport that remains intact to this very date.
Ralph Earnhardt took part in 51 races across 6 years in the Cup Series and has 16 top 10 finishes. His son Dale Earnhardt Sr. on the other hand completely revolutionized the sport.
The Kannapolis born legend won seven NASCAR Championships over the course of his career, with 76 race wins and a whopping 428 top-ten finishes. Unfortunately, he passed away during a fatal accident during the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
Earnhardt was one of the most beloved racing drivers in the world. Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo himself cited the North Carolina native as an inspiration growing up.
Ahead of the US GP in Austin last year, the McLaren driver took part in a test drive in Earnhardt’s Championship winning car.
Also read: Toni Breidinger will become first Arab-American female driver to compete in a full season of NASCAR
Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares pictures of his grandfather’s achievements
Earnhardt Jr. is also one of the most decorated drivers in NASCAR’s history. The 47-year old was recently announced as an inductee into the 2022 NASCAR Hall of Fame. He has 26 wins and 260 top 10 finishes in the Cup Series.
The former Hendrick Motorsports driver also took part in a testing session at Daytona earlier this month. However, he made it clear that returning to full-time racing is not something he’s looking forward to.
Dale Jr posted this on Instagram yesterday. He went through his grandparent’s attic and came across some old broken trophies of Ralph’s. Here are a few pics, check his story for the rest before they disappear. pic.twitter.com/72xiwL0aFU
— The Dale Earnhardt Archive (@ArchivesDe) January 16, 2022
In a recent Instagram Story, the former Daytona 500 winner shared pictures of his grandfather Ralph’s broken trophies. These were at least 60-70 years old and are some of the most priceless memorabilia of the Earnhardt household.
The trophies Earnhardt unearthed included the ones won at the 1953 200-lap team race at the Hickory Speedway, the 1957 NASCAR Sportsman championship and the demolition race at the Jacksonville Speedway in 1956.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is also the uncle of Jeffery, who will drive for Sam Hunt Racing across multiple events in the 2022 Cup Series.
Also read: Jeffery Earnhardt set to compete for Sam Hunt Racing in multiple races in 2022
