Ernie Irvan | |||||||
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![]() Irvan in 1997 | |||||||
Born | Virgil Earnest Irvan January 13, 1959 Salinas, California, U.S. | ||||||
Achievements | 1991 Daytona 500 Winner 1993 Winston 500 Winner Led Winston Cup Series in poles in 1994 | ||||||
Awards | 1993 Super Ford Magazine Driver of the Year 1994 True Value Hard Charger 1994 Mike Rich Memorial Award 1994, 1995 Maxwell House Spirit Award 1995 Winston Cup Scene Top Story of the Year 1995 Arete Award for Courage in Sports (Professional Division) 1996 Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias Courage Award 1996 AP Parts Meet the Challenge Award Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) Selected as a torchbearer for the 2002 Olympics Stock Car Hall of Fame (2002) Voted by MSNBC Top Ten Greatest Sport Comebacks of All Time (2002) West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame[1] (2005) Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023) | ||||||
NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
313 races run over 12 years | |||||||
Best finish | 5th (1991) | ||||||
First race | 1987 Wrangler Jeans Indigo 400 (Richmond) | ||||||
Last race | 1999 Frontier @ the Glen (Watkins Glen) | ||||||
First win | 1990 Busch 500 (Bristol) | ||||||
Last win | 1997 Miller 400 (Michigan) | ||||||
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NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
57 races run over 8 years | |||||||
Best finish | 28th (1991) | ||||||
First race | 1986 All Pro 300 (Charlotte) | ||||||
Last race | 1999 MBNA Platinum 200 (Dover) | ||||||
First win | 1991 AC-Delco 200 (Rockingham) | ||||||
Last win | 1992 Fram Filter 500K (Talladega) | ||||||
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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career | |||||||
12 races run over 5 years | |||||||
Best finish | 45th (1995) | ||||||
First race | 1995 Lowe's 150 (North Wilkesboro) | ||||||
Last race | 1999 NAPA 250 (Martinsville) | ||||||
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Virgil Earnest Irvan (born January 13, 1959), occasionally referred to as Swervin' Irvan, is an American former professional stock car racing driver. A retired NASCAR competitor, he is perhaps best remembered for his comeback after a serious head injury suffered from a crash during practice at Michigan in 1994 that left him with only a 10% chance of survival. Irvan has been inducted into numerous halls of fame and was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998. After a series of injuries in the late 1990s, he retired from racing in 1999.