Beating the Odds: The Ernie Irvan story

500. and the 1991 winner of the Daytona 500 is Ernie Irving the Morgan McClure Chevrolet he's a great father he's a great husband he does a lot for all of us around here at the farm and a lot for me in racing he does what he can for anybody that he's able to not a lot of people can go to the racetrack with her dad and say hey he knows what's going on you know we say reinvents the will on everything he'll take every little project or whatever and try to think of a better way to do it and so he just never slows down he's passionate in whatever he does pretty much gives 110 to anything when I think about Ernie Irvin I think about determination I think about Drive he wanted to make his Mark and he was willing to do whatever he needed to do to get himself to the front foreign [Music] I think I was born to be a Race Car Driver [Music] when he was a little boy he was very active my dad was a racer so I thought that basically everybody raced my dad had a wrecking yard and um we got to work on the race car a little bit you know I was a kid so I didn't get to do much I started racing go-karts when I was eight years old which was 1968. I was scared to death he was only about eight years old I thought it was too soon my dad was racing stock cars so I knew that was the next step I went to a NASCAR track in Stockton California and started my racing career there and my dad was out racing at dirt tracks and so he didn't get to come but me and my mom would go racing oh your mom was behind this as well yeah oh yeah my mom was kind of my paper at the time because my dad couldn't go then we went for a NASCAR title in 77 and won it we won 15 out of 21 races in that year when I was 18 years old thought that was hopefully going to take me to the next level you know who knows what was going to happen you know because you you have that money to be raced every day I kind of grew up with with one guy his name was Timmy Williamson and Timmy was was a great racer and um kind of my idol and I'm somebody I hung out with a lot you can see that I'm in turn six which is one of the most dangerous turns in all of Motorsports the lack of banking here can be very treacherous for the drivers young Tim Williamson lost his life here this was a very technical Fast Track that's what made it extremely dangerous if you got off the racetrack and there was any moisture any wetness you were going to be in trouble foreign crashed it it rained he hit the wall so hard it threw him all the way back on the other side of the track it was a vicious hit it was something it's really hard to live with and knowing how good Timmy was it was just something you can't even imagine I looked through the garage area wondering which car he'd be driving right now because I knew he was that good of a racer and he was going to be around for a long time [Music] reason we left California is because it was at best your hobby racing out there and dad said he said man if you ever want to go any further and raise them you have to be on the East Coast so I took his suggestion loaded up everything I had and you know started starting life back here I'd met up with Mark Reno an old friend from the West Coast we were running at Concord North Carolina do anything we could do for somebody to make a little bit of money so we could go raise some more we were pretty darn good on the dirt we could win any given day but when they went asphalt racing uh it was like somebody handing us a gift because that's all we had done our whole life we brace the heck out of our short track car we used all that money and rolled it into the butch Grand National car now we built a cut car you know I wanted to play hard to get but when you're sitting there with with you know like a couple cans of pork and beans in the in the refrigerator and you're hard to play hard to get let's watch this final laugh and see if Ernie Irvin action Morgan McClure ended up being a team that people could respect s Ernie Irvin wins the push 500. look at this look at this group when I won my first race Morgan McClure's first race they're from Bristol they're just a lot of things happen at that moment is this going to be an upset we'll see and there's probably not Davey Austin both out of this race Ernie Irvin racing back to the line with a big Advantage by plague will come out along with the yellow there you see the Ernie Evan crew Tony Glover Ernie Irvin will win the 33rd annual 500. I was a redneck from California when I was in Daytona 500 I didn't realize it was such a big deal I really felt like that was going to be a long-term relationship because there were good people there were good friends I mean I thought they were giving me anything I could have to be able to win races [Music] Mr Allison injured in a private helicopter crash yesterday at Talladega Super Speedway died this morning at Caraway Memphis Medical Center we were lost in the wilderness I mean we had lost our driver Robert and I really all of us had lost one of our best friends I mean they had so much respect for Navy so it was it was a sad moment the whole garage Ford was a big stimulator and Ford had some conversations with Robert if we can make this deal happen with Ernie Irvin are you guys interested and then Robert eventually came to me he couldn't get the whole name Ernie Irvin out of his mouth it's like well hell yeah are you kidding me there's no telling what we can accomplish back at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia as we get set to go 500 laps it was so hot that day I mean it was in the 90s and I don't think the humidity was too far behind Bernie Irving it's been a half a mile away from his first Victory with this team there is a big win a big win for Ernie Irvin [Music] back in Martinsville Speedway the goodies 500 is history and Ernie Irving is climbing out of this uh Haviland Ford trying to get out of this driver's suit because it is extremely hot down here Ernie congratulations on an outstanding effort a dominating day well I tell you it's pretty emotional and everybody had their own idea what they want to do for Victor Lane I've been wearing this shirt since I started driving this car I knew we could do it this is for Davey nobody nobody knew he had that t-shirt on but he wanted to make sure that that race was in memory of Davey Allison [Music] normally when we would get to the last race of the year just kind of ready for a little bit of down time the way those races went with Ernie the end of 1993 1994 couldn't come fast enough we had momentum we were running really fast everywhere we went we won Martinsville and going a week later Charlotte we we LED all but six laps I felt confident they felt confident I mean that was our Championship to lose there was no doubt early this is going to go all the way to the better end between that three and that 28 car Ernie Irvin earns his tent Winston Cup victory heading for the checkered flag for the second consecutive time in 1994. no prophecy a car that dominant in NASCAR wasted kind of like normal at Michigan on early Saturday morning all the campers in the infield campfires it was like a haze hanging over the track we kind of made an agreement to make a 10 lap run unless it was just horrible well anyhow as Ernie came off four to complete that 10th lap I came on the radio I said Ernie I can tell you don't have what you need let's get that thing in here and let's go to work and all of a sudden I looked and I saw the flagman wave in the caution flag and Raymond Fox my car chief he turned around he went it's us it's us at 8 40 a.m this morning the first Western cup practice session [Music] slam the second turn concrete wall [Music] I was in a State of Shock this there's no way there there is no way this is happening Lisa Yates Doug's wife came and was knocking sort of frantically on the door of the motorhome and told me that Ernie had been an accident Larry Robert me and Mark we had to drive all the way to the hospital pretty much a quiet ride I mean we all knew sort of the facts we'd been given at the track none of us really knew what to expect when we got to the hospital [Music] oh I was at home working in my garden I got the call [Music] they called me to say there was a bad accident and he was on his way to the hospital I even had thinkings of that night you know that he'd be up and around the next day and ready to go racing it was more serious than I really thought Dr erlison he came out and Kim was there at this point his look was was worth a thousand words it's almost like if he didn't say a word you knew they just told us that he may have a 10 chance to make it through the night and every day thereafter we would just start fighting the battle and see where we were at in this business you don't have very many friends and you know I don't plan on losing this one and I just want to ask everybody out there to say a prayer for Ernie after struggling all night the first night trying to hang on on Sunday morning his wife Kim stroll into his bedside in intensive care and took the small shoe on their 12-month-old daughter Jordan and placed it at Ernie Irvine's left hand he crumpled that shoe and from that moment on Ernie began to improve you could tell he was some sometimes responsive he would squeeze it when you'd say certain things I remember waking up in the hospital like 21 days later and not realizing where I'm at hearing on the TV that Kenny Wallace was driving the 28 car Kenny Wallace who's been named his sub for Ernie Irvin while he's on the mint Kenny Wallace on the 28 car what what's acts going on I remember that I Was a Race Car Driver you know there's a lot of things I didn't remember like no one had a walk he still couldn't really talk he had to do a lot of the hand signals and stuff like that and we went through eight to nine months one surgery after another after another you know I remember Kim calling me from the hospital in Michigan and said I got somebody who wants to talk to you and it was Ernie it's like oh my gosh this is the best voice I believe I've ever heard in my life when he had the basal skull fracture he was bleeding like drowning in his own blood and the doctor may know at the track had to do a tracheotomy and I guess when you went to open the kit too the there was no handle for the blade so he had to just do it just with the blade but it did save his life at that point I ended up losing most of my vision out of one eye because Basil's coal fracture cut one of the arteries in your eye and then that made it where my eye didn't move but I can still see out of it the doctor would come in and talk to him about where he was at how he was progressing and what to expect Ernie's like well I want to race again I mean just right away I mean he was like just start as soon as he could talk he started talking wanting to race again and the doctor just sort of looked at me said you know if you'll be lucky if you ever get to drive your little girl to school he said that would be a successful recovery so I asked the doctor to meet me out in the hall and I was like you and I both don't think he'll be able to race again I was like but if that's the care and I got a dangle in front of him to get him to give his rehab 100 we're going to use that well I find it's kind of a miracle that I've even here and uh I feel really really grateful that God has saved me um maybe so I can race again that's what you want to do yeah I want to race um that's all that's all my life has ever been is is racing I was bound and determined in my mind I was going to come racing again he had so much grit in him he worked so hard people don't understand what he went through he went and worked out he went and did his cognitive his speech his physical everything he could do his injuries are so severe and everything that happened I just thought you know how do you go from getting back in a race car for you learning to walk and talk again once Ernie knew he was going to recover and once he knew he eventually was going to come back and drive a race car it was like a pit bull on a short chain first thing's gonna be what are you doing testing uh the doctors have never told me for sure that my eye's ever going to heal so you know it's been seven months since my accident I'm ready to start doing some pricing and find out what I can do Robert and Larry even looked at me and I remember being there and I was like oh I can't believe we're doing this again and he went out and they looked they both looked at me and said he's got it he didn't lose a thing you know and I'm like oh great I mean it's great in one hand but how do you tell him you can't go race if you can still do it and I felt like if he can do it then it's meant to be if he can't we'll figure out something else just shy of 13 months since his accident Ernie Irvin got the green flag to race again the plan would be to run the NASCAR Super Truck races at Martinsville in North Wilkesboro plus a number 88 Texaco Haviland Ford for Irvin to try Winston Cup racing again also at North Wilkesboro it never never crossed me this dangerous I mean I know it's dangerous but did I have second thoughts never did in our industry it's all right we know this is a dangerous sport it will always be a dangerous sport but that's part of its attraction to us I never felt it was completely back to normal not like he wasn't but I I was conscious I got to see the 30 days him in a coma I got to see everything you know he didn't he was in a column for me it was very hard to watch him race these last five years His official Ernie Irvin is back and racing went out and qualified second in the truck seventh in the Winston Cup car it has truly been a heartwarming return probably the most emotional BL when the truck dropped the green flag I'm just thankful to be able to be here just being able to get out there was so emotional being able to to drive at North Wilkesboro and be able to hear the fans [Applause] that's what it's all about you know I had a ball down out there racing in a race with all my buddies and competitors and uh these fans I mean this is nothing more exciting than uh out here racing like this it's going wild Ernie Irvin he's back in Victory Lane yes guys this is great this is a long way from that hospital in Michigan back in August 94 and man how about Ernie is he not smooth we should have been there before but where's Victory Lane getting back to Victory Lane with Ernie Irving was important to everybody it we had accomplished what we wanted to accomplish going back into a season with Ernie they're in the third and four turns again [Music] getting back into Victory Lane it was very very rewarding but I needed to conquer the racetrack that almost conquered me this track that nearly cost him his life it cost him a year in recuperation happily for the lead down to the inside concerning Irvin and the California driver is back in front his wife Kim walks on Final left the number 28 stays in first Ernie Irvin is finally going to win the track that nearly did him in Ernie Irvin for the checkered flag and he's won not foreign Urban climbs out of his Robert Yates Thunderbird Bernie this track nearly took your life today you took something back from it a big win [Music] started about 10 laps to go start again tears in my eyes Kim Irvin how big a day is this for the Urban Family as a driver and a competitor you always want to win but that day I think everybody was okay with who won that race I was running the bus car the car was like really really fast probably the best car I'd ever had in Michigan the crew chief Jerry Baxter he said I know we can get the pole so you're three tens faster than everybody in practice just take it easy well that's not the thing to tell me [Music] I think we've got the poll on the first lap and so Jerry said man he said you're on the pole right now I said man I can go faster and so I tried and busting my butt it's August 20th same day five years later at the same track so I don't think we need a neon sign saying this is it stop I know the accident was nowhere near as severe as the first one but with head injuries is the consecutive part that causes more long-term damage I was with my trainer and we were working out I felt like everything was more of a struggle and I went man there ain't no way I'm gonna do this I went back and told Kim I thought I think I'm gonna have to retire so this is really a special moment and um in my career and it's probably one I I never thought I'd have to uh you know face um but I I figure it's uh smart for me to retire I saw how sad he was and how depressed and how it hit him you know he was young and to have to give up the sport that meant everything to him but I know he wanted to be there for our kids [Music] foreign for him to be retired we're the busiest people I've ever seen that's what he always says I wonder when retirement start he's always got to be busy he cannot just see it he enjoys his family enjoys racing with his son Jared even though I tell him you don't need to be working on Jared's car you just need to be there and enjoy it I think he worries a little too much about everything he wants us to do good and he wants everything to go perfectly there's nothing left to chance when we go to the racetrack he still has racing in his life he goes to the races with my brother that's what he loves to do he has a friend group that goes to the dirt tracks so I feel like Florida has definitely been a good thing for him there's something special about Ernie Irvin he was one of the most fierce competitors that I've ever known I feel badly that someone that I cared so much about as a friend didn't get the opportunity to experience the ultimate of winning a championship in the cup series because he deserved that with everything that he'd been through I feel really good about my career knowing what I accomplished it just so happened that God enabled me to do what I did he's enabled me to still be here and be with my wife and my daughter and my son and it's made me who I am

Channel: NASCAR

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Keywords: NASCAR, nascar, NASCAR Cup Series, nascar cup series, nascar full race, nascar full race 2021, nascar 2022, nascar highlights, nascar youtube, #nascar, #NASCAR, next gen, nascar next gen, YouTube shorts, nascar shorts, nascar on youtube, extended highlights

Id: 9nX1ELM7QxM

Length: 22min 45sec (1365 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 11 2022