NASCAR Legend Cale Yarborough Dead At 84
Three-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Cale Yarborough died on Sunday, December 31, at age 84.
The cause of death has not been announced.
Yarborough won three straight Cup Series titles racing for Junior Johnson in 1976, 1977 and 1978.
“Cale Yarborough was one of the toughest competitors NASCAR has ever seen. His combination of talent, grit and determination separated Cale from his peers, both on the track and in the record book,” NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France said in a statement.
WHAT WILL REPLACE THE CHEVROLET CAMARO IN NASCAR?
“He was respected and admired by competitors and fans alike and was as comfortable behind the wheel of a tractor as he was behind the wheel of a stock car. On behalf of the France family and NASCAR, I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Cale Yarborough.â€
Yarborough finished his Cup Series career with 83 wins, which ties him for sixth on the all-time list with Jimmie Johnson.
“Cale Yarborough was my childhood hero. What an honor to be tied with the legend for 83 Cup series wins,” Johnson wrote on X.
“He was “the man†and the legacy of Cale Yarborough will forever live on. My deepest condolences to Cale’s family.”
SEE IT: NASCAR’S ELECTRIC SUV RACER REVEALED IN LEAKED PHOTO
Yarborough ran 560 Cup Series races over 31 years, winning the Daytona 500 four times and the Southern 500 five times along the way.
He was also part of one of the most iconic moments in NASCAR history at the 1979 Daytona 500 as he and race leader Donnie Allison crashed on the last lap and came to blows on the infield grass during the first-ever 500-mile Cup Series race broadcast flag-to-flag on national TV.
The entire race and more than 1,000 others can be viewed on the NASCAR Classics website.
Read This Next
