The home, estimated to be worth more than $1 million, caught fire about 1:30 p.m. while Irvan was vacationing in the Bahamas. No injuries were reported and horses Irvan and his wife raised on their farm were spared.

Fire crews responding to the blaze said the house may be a total loss.

"By the time firefighters arrived on the scene, they estimate is was 40 to 50 percent involved, so there was not a whole lot they could do," said Rowan County Fire Marshall Randall Faggart.

Irvan returned on a flight from the Bahamas last Saturday afternoon. The scene was too much for Irvan's mother-in-law, Faggart said.

"She did show up and she had a fainting spell, I think," he said.

The roof burned off and its remnants fell into the house. The garage, containing vintage cars, was destroyed.

Irvan retired in September after 13 years in NASCAR'S top Winston Cup racing circuit when doctors told him a third head injury could take away from his quality of life.

He crashed during a practice session for a Busch Series race Aug. 20 at Michigan Speedway. He spent several days in a Michigan hospital, then returned to his home in North Carolina to continue his recovery.

The accident happened five years to the day after a near-fatal wreck on the same 2-mile superspeedway. Irvan lingered near death after the 1994 crash, at first given only a 10 percent chance of survival.

But he recovered, and 14 months later resumed a once-promising career that included a victory in the 1991 Daytona 500, the world's premier stock car race.

Irvan had five top-10 finishes in 1999, his best sixth in the Las Vegas 400. He missed the final 13 races and finished 40th in the Winston Cup final driver standings in 1999.

His career included 313 starts, had 22 poles and 68 top-five finishes. One room in Irvan's home was full of trophies, awards, old racing suits and photographs.

He is co-owner of Irvan-Simo Motorsports, which has fielded entries in NASCAR's Truck, Grand National and Winston Cup series.