The Earnhardt family is mourning the loss of Martha Earnhardt who died at the age of 91 on Christmas Day. She is the mother to the late NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt and grandmother to NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr, who announced the news with his sister Kelly Earnhardt Miller. Dale Earnhardt Jr. then went to pay tribute to his grandmother.
“I’m thankful that I got to tell her I loved her before she left,” Earnhardt wrote in the Instagram post. “What a life she lived. What amazing things she saw and experienced during her 91 years. I hope we are all so lucky to live such a full life and leave it so peacefully. Until we meet again…”
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Martha Earnhardt was married to Ralph Earnhardt from 1947 until his death in 1973 at the age of 45. They had five children – daughters Kaye and Cathy and sons Dale, Randy and Danny. Ralph Earnhardt was named one of NASCAR’s 50 greatest drivers in 1998 and is a member of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. His son Dale, who died in 2001, is a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
“On behalf of the France Family and all of NASCAR, we extend our condolences to the family and friends of Martha Earnhardt,” said Jim France and Lesa France Kennedy in an official NASCAR statement. “Martha was not only the matriarch of a legendary NASCAR family, but a beloved and respected figure within our industry and throughout the fanbase. We will dearly miss her grace, compassion and welcoming demeanor. To her grandchildren, she was ‘Mamaw.’ To millions of NASCAR fans, she was a treasure.”
Martha worked as a waitress and clerk at a children’s store. In an interview with the Charlotte Observer, Martha talked about how she competed in one race and didn’t do well. “That was my one and only,” she said. “… It didn’t work. I just wasn’t meant to be a race-car driver.”
In an interview with the Associated Press in 1998, Martha admitted she had doubts about her grandson (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) competing in NASCAR. “I didn’t think he was ready,” she said. “But boy, he’s proved me wrong. He’s really something special.” In her later years, Martha Earnhardt frequently met visitors in Kannapolis, North Carolina, where a statue of her son (Dale Earnhardt) is found.
