NASCAR’s ‘first family’ matriarch has passed away

This past Christmas Day was a sad one for the NASCAR community, as Martha “Mamaw” Earnhardt passed away at the age of 91.

The anchor of NASCAR‘s first family since 1947, Martha Earnhardt spent one final Christmas Day with her family before passing away this past Saturday evening.

Her grandchildren, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelly Earnhardt Miller, announced her death on Twitter the following morning, thanking the “multiple generations of race fans” for “loving our Mamaw as if she were your own.”

Martha married Ralph Earnhardt two years before his first race in 1949, and she ushered in three generations of family to success in three distinct eras of racing.

She outlived her husband by nearly five decades; Ralph died of a heart attack in 1973 while rebuilding a carburetor at their kitchen table.

Martha’s death was the second for the family in just two weeks.

Ralph and Martha’s youngest son, Danny, died at the age of 66 on Friday, December 10. He was the third of their five children to die in between the passing of their parents; middle child Dale was killed at the age of 49 on a final-lap crash during the 2001 Daytona 500, and son Randy died in 2013 at the age of 60 after a long battle with cancer.

Martha was a fixture in her hometown of Kannapolis, North Carolina for her entire life, even serving as the grand marshal of the 2017 Christmas Parade.

Jim France and Lesa France Kennedy called Earnhardt “a beloved and respected figure throughout our industry” and “a treasure”.

She was a model of stability in a family of volatile personalities, even remaining in the house she and Ralph had built together long after the family had become wealthy.

Martha even tried her hand at driving in a powder puff event, but gave it up after crashing, blaming the mishap on a lack of practice before the event.

Martha was known for her welcoming and open nature and relished the connections she made with generations of racing fans. Granddaughter Kelley told USA Today in 2014 that “She lets people into her home constantly. If you tell her you are the biggest Dale Earnhardt fan ever, she will let you in and sit on the couch, and she will share stories with you for as long as you’ll listen.”

She leaves behind daughters Kaye and Kathy, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, as well as legions of admirers among racing fans.

In a family so touched by tragic early deaths, it is a remarkable blessing for the family to have had Mamaw around for so long. Her legacy of kindness, openness, and grace should live on for at least another 91 years.