NASCAR Hall of Famer and Former Daytona 500 Champion Passes Away

What’s Happening?

Wednesday, the family of Fred Lorenzen confirmed the NASCAR Hall of Fame member passed away at the age of 89. The former Daytona 500 champion and two-time USAC Stock Car division champion is remembered as a pioneer of stock car racing prior to the modern era of NASCAR.

• “Fearless Freddie” won 26 NASCAR Cup Series races from 1961 to 1967. Lorenzen did this despite not racing in a full season in his 12-season career.
• At the time, the schedule was much larger, and some drivers did not attend every race. However, in a show of dominance, Lorenzen’s 1963 season saw him finish third in Grand National standings after entering 29 of 55 races. That was not the only highlight of his 1963 season as Lorenzen overcame a dominant Junior Johnson to win the World 600 at Charlotte, becoming an original member of the elite drivers to win NASCAR’s longest race.
• By far, Lorenzen’s most significant accomplishment in NASCAR was his 1965 Daytona 500 win, in which he defeated legends such as Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, and Ned Jarrett. He is one of two drivers to win the 500 with Ford’s Holman-Moody Racing, the other being IndyCar legend Mario Andretti.
• Lorenzen is also a NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee. His Hall of Fame class, the class of 2015, includes drivers just as iconic as Lorenzen. This legendary class included Bill Elliott, Joe Weatherly, Rex White, and Wendell Scott alongside Lorenzen.
• In a statement, NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France said, “Fred Lorenzen was one of NASCAR’s first true superstars. A fan favorite, he helped NASCAR expand from its original roots.”

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