Ralph Earnhardt Survives

In our timeline, Ralph Earnhardt had a heart attack on September 26, 1973. But what if Ralph Earnhardt had not died in 1973? What if he lived a naturally long life and died in, let's say, 2005? What if Ralph gets to see the driver his son Dale would become?
== POD ==
Ralph Earnhardt doesn't have a heart attack, and continues his preparations for his next local race. He will get to see his son's career unfold, and watch as his grandchild, Dale Jr., starts his Winston Cup career.
=== 1974 ===
Dale Earnhardt begins impressing his father with his small track performances. Ralph wins many local area races in 1974, but his son Dale is becoming a real challenge, also performing incredibly in the local races and seemingly "catching up" with his aging father. Dale gets his first major win on a paved track, North Wilkesboro Speedway, inching past his father on the last lap and winning by half a car length (with some obvious "beating and banging" occurring). Dale's performance at the local races attracts the attention of a man named Rod Osterlund, who is looking for young, talented drivers to race for a new NASCAR team, although he wasn't ready to yet.
=== 1975 ===
Continuing to dominate the local races, the two Earnhardts were highly respected in the local scene, however Dale was looking into moving to bigger and better places. Ralph at first was reluctant to let his son outshine him, but after a brief period decided he wanted to see where Dale could go.
Dale Earnhardt began his professional career in the Winston Cup in 1975, making his debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina in the longest race on the Cup circuit—the 1975 World 600. He drove the No. 8 Ed Niegre Dodge Charger and finished 22nd in the race. Earnhardt competed in eight more Winston Cup races until 1979.
=== 1975-1979 ===
Outside of Dale's occasional Winston Cup race, the two Earnhardts continued to race locally in North and South Carolina. Ralph drove in 2 Winston Cup races during this time, substituting for Cale Yarborough.
=== 1980-1986 ===
Ralph Earnhardt retired from racing in 1980 due to age and now being more in favor of watching his son Dale rise through the ranks, with Dale winning his first championship in 1980, while also working for Dale as a backup crew chief. Dale won his second championship in 1986, with his father Ralph being his full time crew chief starting halfway through the season.
=== 1987-1990 ===
In 1987 Dale won his third championship, however Ralph wasn't there for the final two races of the season as he had severe bronchitis.
In 1988 Ralph worked with Dale and a team of designers and together they came up with Dale's iconic black GM Goodwrench scheme.
In 1989 Dale was disappointed that he didn't get the championship after a spin at North Wilkesboro. Ralph encouraged his son just to wait, a championship would come to him.
=== 1990-2005 ===
1990 got Earnhardt his fourth championship with Ralph now a manager for RCR.
In 1991 Earnhardt won yet another championship with his dad acting as a crew chief and manager.
1992 saw Earnhardt only get one win and his father Ralph race one last time, against Richard Petty in a special 5 lap pre race ceremony at the last race at Atlanta. Ralph won against Petty by a few car-lengths after intense side-by-side racing.
In 1993 Earnhardt won another championship, with Ralph telling Dale he knew he would get his seventh championship soon.
1994 saw the elder Earnhardt's prediction become true, with Dale tying Richard Petty for most championships in Nascar.
Dale won five races in 1995, including his first road course victory at Sears Point. Ralph told his son he believed he had an eighth championship in him. Dale also won the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a win he called the biggest of his career. But in the end, Earnhardt lost the championship to Jeff Gordon by 34 points. The GM Goodwrench racing team changed to Chevrolet Monte Carlos.
1996 for Earnhardt started just like it had done in 1993—he dominated Speedweeks, only to finish second in the Daytona 500 to Dale Jarrett for the second time. He won early in the year, scoring consecutive victories at Rockingham and Atlanta. On July 28 in the DieHard 500 at Talladega, he was second in points and looking for his eighth season title, despite the departure of crew chief Andy Petree. Late in the race, Ernie Irvan lost control of his No. 28 Havoline-sponsored Ford Thunderbird, made contact with the No. 4 Kodak-sponsored Chevy Monte Carlo of Sterling Marlin, and ignited a crash that saw Earnhardt's No. 3 Chevrolet hit the tri-oval wall nearly head-on at almost 200 mph. After hitting the wall, Earnhardt's car flipped and slid across the track, in front of race traffic. His car was hit in the roof and windshield. This accident, as well as a similar accident that led to the death of Russell Phillips at Charlotte, led NASCAR to mandate the "Earnhardt Bar", a metal brace located in the center of the windshield that reinforces the roof in case of a similar crash. This bar is also required in NASCAR-owned United SportsCar Racing and its predecessors for road racing.
Rain delays had canceled the live telecast of the race, and most fans first learned of the accident during the night's sports newscasts. Video of the crash showed what appeared to be a fatal incident, but once medical workers arrived at the car, Earnhardt climbed out and waved to the crowd, initially refusing to be loaded onto a stretcher despite a broken collarbone, sternum, and shoulder blade; however his father told him to quit being so stubborn and eventually convinced Dale to get on the stretcher. Although the incident looked like it would end his season early, Earnhardt refused to stay out of the car, with his father giving up on trying to convince him otherwise.
To Be ContinuedCategory:Dale Earnhardt Survives
Category:USA
Category:NASCAR