On this day … February 18

1962: Ralph Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt’s father, makes his first start in the Daytona 500 and finishes 36th in a field of 48 cars. Driving a 1961 Pontiac with the No. 75, Earnhardt experiences engine failure and completes 54 of the 200 laps. Twenty-five cars fail to finish the race, which is won by Fireball Roberts by 27 seconds over Richard Petty, the only other car on the lead lap.