Cale Yarborough, the first NASCAR driver to win three straight Cup Series championships, has passed away at age 84. No cause of death was announced as news of Yarborough’s passing went public on Sunday morning (Dec. 31).
There was immediate reaction from many in the NASCAR community, starting with the sport’s Chairman and CEO, Jim France.
“Cale Yarborough was one of the toughest competitors NASCAR has ever seen,” France said in a statement. “His combination of grit, talent 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.”
Former Cup championship crew chief Todd Parrott was among others who weighed in on social media.
The pride of Timmonsville, S.C., Yarborough had an adventurous upbringing that included being a high school football star and a Golden Gloves boxer. He attended the nearby 1951 Southern 500 at age 12 without a ticket, sneaking in through a hole in the fence around the Darlington Raceway property.
Yarborough’s first NASCAR start would be in the very same race just six years later. It was the start of a career that would last over 30 years, in which Yarborough would win 83 Cup races and the 1976, 1977, and 1978 championships. Only Jimmie Johnson won more consecutive titles, a record set during the playoff era where points are reset before the end of the season.
Yarborough won those with the Junior Johnson operation, catapulting the No. 11 car into one of the sport’s premier organizations for the next few decades. In eight years of driving for the team, from 1973-80, he won 55 times, earned those three titles and a 1977 Daytona 500 victory.
Remarkably, Yarborough only ran eight full-time seasons in NASCAR, yet won three championships. After leaving Johnson’s operation following the 1980 season, he was the last part-time driver to find consistent success in Cup. Yarborough won multiple races from 1981 to 1985, including back-to-back Daytona 500s in 1983-84 as he chose to focus on his family instead of racing full-time. He also won a record-setting five Southern 500 races, a mark that was later broken by Jeff Gordon.
In his last two seasons and following retirement, Yarborough…
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