Best finish 8th (1974) First race Daytona 500 Died September 18, 2014 | Role Race car driver Name Earl Ross | |
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Born September 4, 1941
Fortune, Prince Edward Island, Canada ( 1941-09-04 ) Achievements Only Canadian driver to win in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series Awards 1974 Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year Last race 1976 Daytona 500 (Daytona) First win 1974 Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville) | ||
Earl ross
Earl Ross (September 4, 1941 – September 18, 2014) born in Fortune, Prince Edward Island, Canada was a Canadian race car driver who competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series from 1973 to 1976 driving the Carling Red Cap #52.
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Career summary
He was known for being one of only four non-American drivers to have won a NASCAR Cup Series race (the others being Juan Pablo Montoya, who won the 2007 Toyota/Save Mart 350, Mario Andretti, who won the 1967 Daytona 500, and Marcos Ambrose who won the 2011 Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen). Ross' only NASCAR win came at Martinsville Speedway on September 29, 1974 during the Old Dominion 500. After qualifying 11th, Ross beat Buddy Baker to the line by more than a lap, thus making him the first and still the only Canadian to have ever won a Winston Cup event. Ron Fellows however has wins in the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series. At that time, Earl was the first rookie to win a Grand National race since Richard Petty accomplished the feat several years earlier.
The victory helped Ross win the Winston Cup Rookie of the Year in 1974. After competing in only 2 events in '75 and '76, Ross retired from NASCAR racing. He recorded 1 win, 5 top-5's and 10 top 10's in 26 races.
Ross competed in a number of regional racing series throughout the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, including time on the ASA circuit and CASCAR Super Series. He also participated in regular Friday night racing at Delaware Speedway before his ultimate retirement in the late 1990s.
Ross was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2000, FOAR SCORE (Friends Of Auto Racing Seeking Cooperation Of Racing Enthusiasts) Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2011.
Ross, a resident of Ailsa Craig, Ontario, died on September 18, 2014 at the age of 73.
NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)