Transcript: Ernie Irvan

February 15, 2001
11:01 AM EST (1601 GMT)

Ernie Irvan, voted one of NASCAR's top 50 drivers of all time, stopped by to chat about his career, what he is doing in retirement and his future.

Ernie Irvan at 8:32pm ET I appreciate you joining us tonight. Hopefully we can answer some good questions and even some bad ones!

Dustin Griffin at 8:32pm ET What was the greatest moment in your career? Whar was your greatest race?

Ernie Irvan at 8:33pm ET Obviously there have been a lot of great moments. the one that really comes to mind is winning the Daytona 500 and all the victories. The one nobody realizes was when I came back at Wilksborough. I got to get back to doing what I love to do.

David shevock ll at 8:33pm ET Hi Ernie, how are you? I was very sorry about your house, but relieved to find out that you weren't home at the time of the fire. Have you built your new house yet?

Ernie Irvan at 8:34pm ET We haven't even tore the old house down. We're still dealing with the insurance company. We're trying to take it one step at a time. it's amazing that nobody was home. Nothing we could have done. If we had been home and my daughter was asleep we would have had trouble getting her out of the house. So it's a real blessing.

brenda at 8:35pm ET you had a great career in racing. what do you wish you had accomplished that you didn't?

Ernie Irvan at 8:35pm ET Numerous things. Winning the championship is something I never got close at. That would have been the most rewarding thing. I was close to winning the first race at the Brickyard and the third.

Brad at 8:36pm ET Ernie, first of all I would have to say that I am sorry for what happened to you house. I guess the only good thing is that none of your family or yourself were hurt. The question that I would like to ask you, is how is your time frame in becoming and NASCAR Winston cup owner. Will it still be next year?

Ernie Irvan at 8:37pm ET I have all faith in hopefully being able to become an owner in the future. everything that keeps happening keeps setting me behind. Everything I own is messed up. There's only 24 hours in a day. Right now I'm at Charlotte and trying to help the M&M's people and do everything I can to be part of the race team.

Mike from MD at 8:37pm ET Hi Ernie. Do you watch the races from the track or at home? And if so, is it difficult for you to watch? I miss seeing you out there.

Ernie Irvan at 8:38pm ET The majority of the time I watch the races at home. My daughter and son are important parts of my life. There's a lot of times they have things going on during race times. It's hard to be 41 and retired, but I know I did the right thing. It's tough to sit at home and watch every weekend and see people I started with still out there.

Bruce Heflin at 8:38pm ET I really miss watching you race. Any chance we might see you in the future? If not, will we see you in the broadcast booth?

Ernie Irvan at 8:39pm ET I will never race again. It's tough to say that but obviously I've had a good career. It was cut short, but I am confident I can be a part of something to do with racing. I would love to do whatever it takes to stay involved in motorsports.

Mary at 8:40pm ET Mr. Irvan, You have had many trails both on and off the track. What has kept you so positive and strong. I also would like to thank you for being a part of the NASCAR family.

Ernie Irvan at 8:40pm ET Thank you. What has kept me strong is my faith in God and a lot of times I look at the situation and think, 'I could go cry in the corner or go rebuild what I lost.' The smartest thing is to try and rebuild. Everything I do in life I have that outlook.

John C. at 8:41pm ET Ernie, Do you still have any affiliation with M&M's this year?

Ernie Irvan at 8:41pm ET I am doing some hospitality and personal service with M&M/Mars. I love being associated with the company and it's rewarding to do things for them.

jonnie W at 8:41pm ET What advice would you give to a young racer who wants to get in Winston Cup racing?

Ernie Irvan at 8:42pm ET It's very tough to be a Winston Cup race car driver. Anything you do, where there's action there's a reaction. Anything you do on a race track it's very critical to do the right thing. As far as the right thing, that pertains to everything.

cecil at 8:43pm ET HOW DO YOU THINK THE DODGE PROGRAM WITH BILL ELLIOTT WILL PREFORM NEXT YEAR.

Ernie Irvan at 8:44pm ET I wouldn't want to count them out. there's no doubt Ray is a talented crew chief. The only thing I'm upset with is I wasn't a part of being able to drive one of Ray's cars. Ray is going to be very successful. He's got Casey and Bill. One is up and coming and one is a cagey veteran.

kyle at 8:44pm ET I was wondering why you left Yates in 97 and went to MB2 motorsports in 98. did it have anything to do with relationship between Robert Yates or Dale Jarrett, or was their another reason why you left. also, congratulations on your successful career.

Ernie Irvan at 8:45pm ET To answer that question, I didn't do that because I wanted to. I had a good relationship with Robert and Dale. Texaco told Robert that they wanted an up and coming guy. When the sponsor talks, you have to do what the sponsor wants.

Wright~ York, Maine at 8:46pm ET How tiring is it to be behind the wheel of a race car for 500 miles? Can you usually tell if it is hot or colder outside by the temperature inside the car?

Ernie Irvan at 8:47pm ET Definitely. When you're in a race car and it's 60-70 outside, it's relatively not too bad on a lot of tracks to drive 500 miles. When you get in and it's 80-90 outside, it's very tiring. That's why race car drivers are athletes. I would challenge some of the other athletes to get in a race car and do it for 500 miles.

stacy at 8:47pm ET I saw Boris Said in the Federated Auto Parts truck one time this year. Will you be putting him in any more races this season, truck, Busch, or Cup?

Ernie Irvan at 8:48pm ET Boris is doing some things with Federated. the truck he was driving was one of our trucks. We leased our program to Robby Gordon. He has teamed with Jimmy Spencer.

Darlene Lariccia at 8:48pm ET I was sorry to hear about the fire at your home, were you able to salvage any of your Nascar Memorabilia for your family?

Ernie Irvan at 8:49pm ET Let's just say I had 100 things and throughout that fire I probably am going to save 10 things as far as in my trophy room. That doesn't mean I'm not able to get duplicates. It was amazing. The Daytona 500 uniform I wore was in my trophy room. There are numerous things that are not going to be able to be replaced.

TIFFANY 383 at 8:50pm ET FIRST I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THE FANS DEFINATELY MISS YOU RACING, BUT RESPECT YOUR CHOICE!!WITH SUCH A CLOSE RACE FOR ROOKIE OF THE YEAR THIS YEAR, WHO DO YOU SEE FINISHING ON TOP?

Ernie Irvan at 8:52pm ET I appreciate the comments. It's unbelievable how much I miss it. It's tough not to be driving. But again, I know I made the right choice. There's no doubt I could get out there and perform. It's going to be tough to beat Dale Earnhardt Jr. for rookie of the year.

P.S. I wish he was my son!

Lonnie A at 8:52pm ET How did you get involved in racing?

Ernie Irvan at 8:53pm ET My dad, when I was 6, he would take us out to the track because he was a driver. I guess if my dad was a doctor I would have pursued being a doctor. I wanted to follow in his footsteps.

Kathy at 8:53pm ET Any news about appearances with your fans this year?

Ernie Irvan at 8:54pm ET We are going to have a fan club meeting on June 24 at Sears Point because I am going to be the honorary grand martial. That will be fun. Hopefully a lot of people will be able to join in.

Pete P at 8:55pm ET Do you think this is the most competitive season you have seen in the WC circuit?

Ernie Irvan at 8:55pm ET There's no doubt. I'd venture to say it's one of the most competitive I've seen in my career.

Ernie Irvan at 8:56pm ET Oh, another note I have. I am going to be hosting a TV show, "On the pole," on Fox Sports, airing on Sundays in July. I'll also be hosting a great outdoors show airing in November and December on NASCAR2.

Evelyn at 8:56pm ET Now that you are retired what are you doing? Wish we could still see you at the track in some capacity.How is your home coming along after the fire?

Ernie Irvan at 8:58pm ET That's a good question. I thought that when I retired I was going to be able to just put my feet up and sit by the pool. Little did I know I'm going to be a general contractor to rebuild my house. We're going to someday be a part of motorsports. But right now the most important thing I can do is try to rebuild my house and my family.

I have another thing I just found. the No. 56 car, the first I ever drove in Cup, will be produced as a die cast and will be on sale at the fan club. They'll be available at www.irvan.com.

Luther V at 8:59pm ET What do you think of the expanded schedule and the new tracks?

Ernie Irvan at 8:59pm ET It's tough to expand the schedule. I'm kinda glad I'm not a part of that. there's no doubt, though, that NASCAR needs to go to some larger markets and it will make it very rewarding for the sponsors.

Amanda at 9:00pm ET What is it like being able to say that you've raced with some of the best racers in NASCAR's history?

Ernie Irvan at 9:01pm ET That's another thing I have lost in the fire was the poster I got from being one of the 50 greatest drivers in NASCAR. Every day I sit there and think, 'I can't believe I was voted into that.' That's what keeps me going day in and day out.

Ernie Irvan at 9:03pm ET I really appreciate everybody joining in. I appreciate the comments and the people who miss me. It's tough not to be on the track. There's no doubt only a few drivers drive like I had. I wish I could still do it but my family is the most important thing. My fans come a real close second.