Three-time NASCAR champion Cale Yarborough dies

A legend of the NASCAR left us this New Year's Eve. Cale Yarborough, three-time NASCAR champion, died this Sunday, December 31. He was 84 years old.

The racing world has lost a legend.

Cale Yarborough, NASCAR Hall of Famer and three-time series champion, died at the age of 84. pic.twitter.com/i10lJNYn26

- NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) December 31, 2023

Cale Yarborough has won the Daytona 500 four times and the Southern 500 five times – numbers that place him second on the all-time list for each of those events. His three Cup Series titles were won consecutively from 1976 to 1978; only Jimmie Johnson, who won five consecutive crowns from 2006 to 2010, has won more titles in a row. Yarborough and Johnson are tied for sixth place in the discipline with 83 victories each. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012.

The American is forever linked to historic Darlington Raceway, the track just a county away where he made his big league debut. Darlington honored Cale Yarborough in 2016 by dedicating the garage he snuck into as a youth to his name.

“Cale Yarborough was one of the fiercest competitors NASCAR has ever known, said Jim France, president and CEO of NASCAR. His combination of talent, courage and determination set him apart from his peers, both on the track and in the record books. 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 my family and NASCAR, I extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Cale Yarborough. »

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