Early Beginnings
Irvan began his racing career driving karts in California in 1968 at the age of nine. He won the California Championship at the age of 15. In 1974, Irvan finished second in the country in his class at the national kart championship races. In 1975, Irvan moved up to stock cars at the age of 16 at Stockton 99 Speedway and was victorious in his first race on asphalt in a semi-main event. From then until 1981 Ernie raced every weekend at Madera and Stockton, CA, winning numerous feature events. He missed his high school graduation ceremony to race at Riverside, CA. During this time, he lost best friend Tim Williamson in a racing accident at Riverside, just months before he was slated to test in Winston Cup.
Read more about this topic: Ernie Irvan
Famous quotes containing the words early and/or beginnings:
“For with this desire of physical beauty mingled itself early the fear of death—the fear of death intensified by the desire of beauty.”
—Walter Pater 1839–1894, British writer, educator. originally published in Macmillan’s Magazine (Aug. 1878)
“Those newspapers of the nation which most loudly cried dictatorship against me would have been the first to justify the beginnings of dictatorship by somebody else.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)