Ernie Gahan
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October 12, 1926
| Ernie Gahan | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Ernest E. Gahan October 12, 1926 Wakefield, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | November 27, 2009 (aged 83) Berwick, Maine, U.S. | ||||||
| Retired | 1976 | ||||||
| Modified racing career | |||||||
| Debut season | 1947 | ||||||
| Car number | 50 | ||||||
| Wins | 300+ | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| 1966 NASCAR National Modified Champion[1] | |||||||
| Awards | |||||||
| Carnegie Hero | |||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 11 races run over 4 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 45th (1962) | ||||||
| First race | 1960 Martinsville Speedway | ||||||
| Last race | 1966 Oxford Plains Speedway[2] | ||||||
| |||||||
Ernest E. Gahan (October 12, 1926 – November 27, 2009) was an American stock car racing driver. He spent the majority of his career racing in the Modified division, and won the 1966 NASCAR Modified Championship.[1]
Gahan started racing in 1947 at the Dover Speedway, New Hampshire, and regularly competed at the renowned tracks of the northeast including Cheshire Fairgrounds, New Hampshire; Stafford Motor Speedway, Connecticut; and in New York at Fonda Speedway and Utica-Rome Speedway in Vernon.[3] He made eleven appearances in the NASCAR Grand National Series between 1960 and 1966 with a best finish of sixth at the Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds, South Carolina.[2]
Gahan was inducted into the New England Auto Racers, the New York State Stock Car Association, and the Northeast Dirt Modified Halls of Fame.[3][4]
Carnegie Hero
Gahan along with four others rescued Marvin Panch from a burning race car at the Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 1963, and each received the prestigious Carnegie Medal for their heroism.[5][6] That same year, Gahan pulled fellow racer Bill Wimble from a burning wreck during a race in Syracuse, New York.[3]