Bobby Allison holds Cale Yarborough’s foot after Yarborough kicked him throughout their brawl within the 1979 Daytona 500. (AP Photograph/Ric Feld)
Cale Yarborough, thought of one in every of NASCAR’s all-time biggest drivers and the primary to win three consecutive Cup titles, died Sunday. He was 84.
NASCAR introduced the loss of life of the Corridor of Famer and South Carolina native in a press release. No trigger was given.
“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,” said Jim France, chairman and CEO of 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.”
Identified for his fierce toughness and grit, Yarborough gained the Daytona 500 4 instances and the Southern 500 at his dwelling observe of Darlington Raceway 5 instances. His 83 Cup Collection victories are tied with Jimmie Johnson for sixth on NASCAR’s all-time wins checklist, and Yarborough ranks fourth with 69 pole positions.
However one in every of his most well-known moments got here within the 1979 Daytona 500, the primary to be televised dwell flag to flag throughout the nation. Yarborough, a Golden Gloves boxer who additionally earned a soccer scholarship to Clemson, crashed whereas racing with Donnie Allison on the ultimate lap for the win. The 2 drivers bought out of their wrecked vehicles to combat, Allison’s brother, Bobby, pulled over to hitch the scrap and it was two Allison brothers versus Yarborough as Richard Petty crossed the end line first.
It was a breakthrough second for NASCAR, which, due to a snowstorm on the East Coast, was being proven on dwell tv to its largest viewers ever.
Yarborough stop full-time racing after profitable six races in 1980 and ending second within the Cup standings after profitable three straight crowns from 1976-78. He stated on the time it was to spend extra time together with his three daughters. Throughout his NASCAR Corridor of Fame induction speech in 2012, Yarborough stated he felt like he’d accomplished his journey from the underside rung of the ladder to the highest.
“I sure hoped I was going to get to this point because working in the back of the fields in that hot sun would make you want to do something else,” he stated. “I always dreamed of … ending up where I have ended up tonight.”
After retirement, Yarborough opened and operated a used automotive dealership within the Pee Dee area of South Carolina and served on the Florence County Council.
“The NASCAR industry and our millions of fans have lost one of the grittiest and most successful superstars of all time,” Winston Kelley, govt director of the NASCAR Corridor of Fame, stated in a statement. “Cale’s outstanding legacy and accomplishments in NASCAR will dwell in our minds, our hearts and the archives of the NASCAR Corridor of Fame without end.”
Yarborough is survived by his spouse, Betty Jo, and daughters Julie, Kelley and B.J.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing