Yep, he was way too stubborn and set in his ways to wear the Hans if it wasn't mandatory. Sr. and his dad were polar opposites as adults. Ralph would give you the shirt off his back. Although I was a HUGE fan of Sr, he was pretty "gruff" for the most part. A nice enough guy ... but only if he really knew you.

I can understand your in-laws. Sr. was one of those drivers you either loved or hated ... there was no in-between!

My mom was a huge Rusty Wallace fan back in the day. I didn't really care for the dude and the couple times I met him personally, he was a total turn-off to me. SO ... I made it a point to always watch the Sunday races at my mom's. My mom and Lynn were both Wallace fans, my step-dad and myself were both Earnhardt fans. It made for some very "colorful" Sundays in those days!