Virgil Earnest “Ernie” 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.
| 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 (2005) Named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers (2023) |
NASCAR Cup Series
| Races | 313 | Average Finish | 17.35 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | 15 | Average Start | 16.2 |
| Top 5 Finishes | 68 | Total Laps Led | 5,464 |
| Top 10 Finishes | 124 | Total Laps | 88,655 |
| Top 20 Finishes | 184 | % of Laps | 88.7% |
| Poles | 22 | DNF’s | 69 |
Xfinity Series
| Races | 57 | Average Finish | 24.1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | 3 | Average Start | 15.2 |
| Top 5 Finishes | 12 | Total Laps Led | 926 |
| Top 10 Finishes | 15 | Total Laps | 6,513 |
Craftsman Truck Series
| Races | 12 | Average Finish | 12.3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | 0 | Average Start | 12.4 |
| Top 5 Finishes | 7 | Total Laps Led | 242 |
| Top 10 Finishes | 8 | Total Laps | 1,710 |
