NASCAR’s original tough guy Cale Yarborough (84) passed away

He gained notoriety as NASCAR’s toughest competitor, a notion that only diverts attention from Cale Yarborough’s many successes. The first driver to win three back-to-back Winston Cup titles, Yarborough also won the Daytona 500 four times and was a four-time starter in the Indy 500. Cale Yarborough passed away on December 31^st.

Cale Yarborough grew up in the community of Sardis, near Timmonsville in South Carolina. He lost his father in an airplane accident when he was aged 12. Yarborough was a semi-pro in high school football, playing as a fullback and linebacker, boxer and racer. Underage, he tried to sneak onto the grid of the Southern 500 but was caught and disqualified. Aged 18, he made his official debut in NASCAR’s Southern 500 in 1957.

Wood brothers

Yarborough wouldn’t become a winner until 1965; at Valdosta Speedway in a Ford entered by Kenny Myler. His career took on another dimension. Driving for the Wood brothers, Cale Yarborough won his first Daytona 500 in 1968. By that time, he had also started in the Indy 500 twice. Tenth would be his best finish, in 1972. In 1971, Yarborough did a full year in Indycar, finishing inside the top-five on two occasions.

Title runs

Peak-Yarborough would come mid-seventies after Junior Johnson took over the Howard outfit that employed Cale Yarborough. In 1976, he won nine races and took his first national NASCAR championship title. In 1977, he followed up by finishing in every race, and never outside the top six. He won the title, ahead of Richard Petty, scoring 5000 points in the championship. Switching to Oldsmobile, Cale Yarborough won ten races in 1978 and became the first driver to take three championships on the trot.

“And there is a fight”

1979, however, was the year when Cale Yarborough became a household name everywhere. That year’s Daytona 500 was the first to be broadcast live, nationwide. On the last lap, Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough came together for a second time in that race. Both were leading by about half a lap. They came together as Yarborough was making his move to pass Donnie Allison. They tapped each other no less than three times before sliding down the infield to a stop. Richard Petty was as surprised as anyone to find himself the winner. In the meantime, the camera switched towards some out-of-car action in the infield, with CBS presenter Ken Squier announcing: “And there is a fight.”

Bobby Allison – who had nothing to do with the crash – had stopped at the crash site on his cooldown lap after the finish, to see if he could pick up his brother. He was greeted by Cale Yarborough storming to his car. Some unpleasantries were exchanged “and then he lunged at me with his helmet”, Bobby Allison told the LA Times in 2019. “I was mad enough to fight, and I did,” Yarborough said.

No regrets

“I thought I had to address this right now or run from Cale Yarborough all my life”, Bobby Allison stated. Fists flew, as Yarborough took on both of the Allison brothers. NASCAR was a national phenomenon overnight. “It was great racing, great fighting and a great time,” Cale Yarborough summed it up. “The only thing I regret was not winning that race.”

Two more Daytona 500 wins

Yarborough would win the Daytona 500 on two more occasions, in 1983 and 1984. By then, Yarborough was no longer competing in all the races. He did do Le Mans, with a Chevrolet Camaro in 1981, an adventure that ended with a crash. Yarborough also took the IROC title in 1984.

Statements

Cale Yarborough racked up 83 wins in the NASCAR Cup series. He shares the three successive championships with Jimmie Johnson only. In 2012, Yarborough was inducted in NASCAR’s Hall of Fame. He passed away in Florence, South Carolina after an extended illness. Tributes rolled in. Mario Andretti posted on Instagram: “I cherish the times I raced against him. He was a formidable competitor and an all-round good guy.”

NASCAR CEO Jim France paid homage in a statement: “Cale Yarborough was one of the toughest competitors NASCAR has ever seen. His combination of talent, grit and determination separated Cale from his peers, both on the track and in the record book.”

Richard Petty: “His rivalry and competitive spirit with The King will always be a renowned part of NASCAR history, showcasing their mutual respect and the intensity of their competition on the track.”

Our own Jim Donnelly said this on Facebook: “Cale Yarborough was one of the toughest drivers to ever grip a steering wheel. You did not want to see this guy in your rear-view mirror.”