Fred Lorenzen, who earned the nickname “Golden Boy” for his exploits in the early days of NASCAR, died earlier this month. He was 89.
“Fred Lorenzen was one of NASCAR’s first true superstars,” said NASCAR chairman and CEO Jim France. “A fan favorite, he helped NASCAR expand from its original roots. Fred was the picture-perfect NASCAR star, helping to bring the sport to the silver screen — which further grew NASCAR’s popularity during its early years. For many years, NASCAR’s ‘Golden Boy’ was also its gold standard, a fact that eventually led him to the sport’s pinnacle, a rightful place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
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“On behalf of the France family and all of NASCAR, I want to offer our condolences to the friends and family of Fred Lorenzen.”
A member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2015, Lorenzen battled dementia in his later years of life. He was named one of NASCAR’s 50 greatest drivers in 1998.
Lorenzen rose to fame during a short but brilliant career. The Illinois native made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in 1956 and won his first race in 1961 at Martinsville Speedway.
Although he never ran a full season at NASCAR’s highest level between his first start in 1956 and last in 1972, Lorenzen was a consistent winner when he did enter events. Lorenzen won 26 races in 158 starts, including the Daytona 500 (1965) and two in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (1963, 1965).
Lorenzen made starts for some of the most recognizable team owners in the sport. Most of them came with Holman Moody (whom he won 25 of his 26 races with) but he also made a start with Junior Johnson.
Off the track, Lorenzen was named the sport’s most popular driver twice in 1963 and ’65. Additionally, he was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame in 1978 and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1991.