NASCAR Veteran Irvan Is Ending His Driving Career

Ernie Irvan, the happy-go-lucky California driver who returned to Winston Cup racing after suffering life-threatening head injuries five years ago, has decided not to press his luck.

The veteran NASCAR driver, 40, who had suffered head and lung injuries Aug. 20 at Michigan International Speedway, announced his retirement Friday. That recent accident was eerily similar to the one in which Irvan was nearly killed in 1994. It was also in almost the same place on the track.

“This was a tough decision to make, but I was able to make it on my own terms,” Irvan said at a news conference in Darlington, S.C., where the Pepsi Southern 500 is scheduled Sunday. “Now I can focus on my immediate plans. I plan to be very active in the sport. I’ll just be in a different seat, so to speak.”

Irvan insisted that doctors had not told him to retire from racing, but said they had warned him about future accidents.

“Doctors said if I had another accident like the ones I’ve had, it could be detrimental to living a wholesome life,” he said. “Physically, I feel good, but I believe this is the right decision. I’ll continue to work with the M&M; Racing Team for the rest of the season and with Irvan-Simo Racing.”

For the last two seasons, he drove the No. 36 Pontiac, besides fielding Craftsman Truck and Busch teams in partnership with Mark Simo.

Before his most recent accident, Irvan had five top-five finishes this season, his best a fourth in the Las Vegas 400.

In 13 seasons in Winston Cup, Irvan won 15 races, including the 1991 Daytona 500. He won three times after returning to racing from 14 months of rehabilitation. His last victory, in 1997, was an emotional one at the same two-mile Michigan superspeedway where he had crashed before.

Immediately after the 1994 accident, doctors said Irvan had only about a 10% chance of surviving, but after what medical observers called a miraculous recovery, he returned to Winston Cup racing on Oct. 1, 1995, at North Wilkesboro, N.C.

He drove with an eye patch that day, finishing sixth after having led 31 laps.

Known as “Swervin’ Irvan” because of his unpredictable style of racing, Irvan’s fellow Winston Cup drivers good-naturedly welcomed his return with such comments as, “We always thought he was running with one eye before, so what difference does it make.”

In a car his father built in the family garage in Salinas, Irvan won the Stockton (Calif.) track championship in 1977 and decided to head south to try his fortune in big-time stock car racing. Finding no opportunities, Irvan took a job welding seats in the Charlotte Motor Speedway grandstands.

Years later, after winning a 500-mile race at Charlotte in 1993, he called it one of the highlights of his career.

During NASCAR’s 50th anniversary season, Irvan was named one of stock car racing’s 50 greatest drivers. In 313 starts, he had 68 top-five and 124 top-10 finishes. Besides his 15 wins, he also had 22 pole positions.

Ernie Irvan at a Glance

* Born: Jan. 13, 1959, in Salinas, Calif.

* Residence: Concord, N.C.

* Winston Cup wins: 15, including 1991 Daytona 500.

* Winston Cup starts: 313.

* Highest Winston Cup series finish: Fifth in 1991.

* First Cup race: Sept. 13, 1987, at Richmond, Va.

* First Cup win: 1990 Busch 500 at Bristol, Tenn.

* Last Cup win: 1997 Michigan 400.

* Busch Grand National wins: 3.

* Winston Cup earnings: $11,625,817