Cale Yarborough, three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, dead at 84

Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and four-time Daytona 500 winner Cale Yarborough passed away Sunday in Florence, South Carolina. He was 84.

According to Johnny Dickson, Yarborough passed away at McLeod Hospice House.

“Cale Yarborough passed away to his eternal home in Heaven early this morning at McLeod Hospice House in Florence with his loving family by his side,” Dickson wrote on X. “The family sends their thanks for all the support and love from family, friends, and fans.”

Many would say that Cale Yarborough was the most tenacious stock car driver who ever lived. No one drove a car any harder. The perfect model of a race car driver: fast, tough, resilient, with a will and bravery to carry a car to its limit

RIP Cale, a great man and no finer racer pic.twitter.com/DlHgG94QfZ

— nascarman (@nascarman_rr) December 31, 2023

Yarborough, a Timmonsville, South Carolina, native, is regarded as one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. In a career spanning over three decades, Yarborough raced his way to victory lane 83 times in the Cup Series, tied for sixth all-time with Jimmie Johnson.

He won three consecutive Cup Series championships from 1976-78, the first driver to accomplish the feat and only done since by Johnson, who won five in a row from 2006-10. Yarborough notched four Daytona 500 wins (1968, 1977, 1983, 1984). Only Richard Petty (seven) has claimed more victories in the “Great American Race.”

NASCAR mourns the loss of Cale Yarborough

NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France issued a statement to Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports on the passing of Yarborough.

“Cale Yarborough was one of the toughest competitors NASCAR has ever seen,” France said. “His combination of talent, grit and determination separated Cale from his peers, both on the track and in the record book. 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 the France family and NASCAR, I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Cale Yarborough.”

Yarborough will forever be remembered for his last-lap duel with Donnie Allison in the 1979 Daytona 500. The two frontrunners went side-by-side down the backstretch before crashing together, paving the way for Petty to steal the win. Yarborough fought both Donnie and brother Bobby Allison in the infield as officials attempted to intervene. The race was the first NASCAR event to feature live flag-to-flag coverage on TV.

On this date in 1979:
Richard Petty won the Daytona 500 after Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crashed while racing for the lead.
The race was the first NASCAR event that featured live flag-to-flag coverage on television. pic.twitter.com/RQIC94TpPm

— NASCAR Memories (@NASCARMemories) February 19, 2019

Yarborough took his place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012 alongside Richie Evans, Dale Inman, Darrell Waltrip and Glen Wood.

“Racing is kind of like a big, tall ladder,” Yarborough said during his induction speech, via NASCAR.com. “When you begin, you start off on the bottom step of that ladder. And it’s a long, hard climb to the top. But I feel like tonight that I’m finally standing on the top step.”