NASCAR Legend Ernie Irvan attended the 2009 Sprint Sound and Speed Presented by Suntrust fan festival in Nashville this past weekend.
Fans got to ask Ernie questions during one of many Artist/Fan question and answer sessions at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium.
Click past the fold for a picture of Ernie from this event, taken by MotorSportsNews.Net photographer Steve Langley.
Photo: Steve Langley
Irvan won 15 Cup races over a 12 year career before it was cut short due to a near-fatal crash at Michigan.
Ernie was on stage with NASCAR Legends Darrell Waltrip and Ray Evernham and music Legends Connie Smith and Charlie Louvin.
The festival, in it’s fourth year, raises money for the Victory Junction Gang Camp and the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Ernie is one driver that we will always remember, he is one of the few “Old School” drivers left in our sport. His driving career was cut short by his accident which almost cost him his life. Ernie DID return to the track, and won a race at Michigan, the same track where he had come close to loosing his life. He IS a true ‘Old School’ driver.
Ernie was my favorite driver. I believe that he was going to win the Championship that year. If my memory serves me right, he was either first or second in the points when that near fatal crash occured. That was at a time when there wasn’t a “Play-Off” the last ten races of the season. I was overjoyed when he returned to the track the following year, and was ecstatic when he conquered the track that almost took his life. His “Old-School” driving is surely missed today!
Long Live the Texaco Havoline #28 Ford Thunderbird!!!
I was sorry to see him go and Havoline and Robert Yates Racing did him wrong when they droped him Yates sold him out and as we know yates racing is a thing of the past what goes around comes around