Legendary NASCAR driver [autotag]Cale Yarborough[/autotag], who is one of the sport’s greatest drivers with three championships, died on December 31st, 2023. He was 84 years old.
Yarborough won four Daytona 500s throughout his career and three Cup Series championships from 1976-1978. In fact, Yarborough held the record for most consecutive Cup Series championships before Jimmie Johnson won five in a row. The former NASCAR driver and Johnson are tied for sixth on the Cup Series’ all-time win list with 83 victories a piece.
The three-time Cup Series champion was also involved in one of the most famous fights in NASCAR history after the 1979 Daytona 500. After Yarborough and Donnie Allison crashed, the two drivers started to fight in the first Daytona 500 that was broadcated from start to finish. It was a massive moment for the sport that threw it into the mainstream spotlight.
Yarborough was inducted into the NASCAR Hall-of-Fame in 2012 as a part of the third class of honorees. He was also honored at Darlington Raceway in 2016 as the track dedicated the same garage that he snuck into as a youth in his name. Yarborough will forever be one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers, and his impact will be felt far into the future.
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