Fred Lorenzen, NASCAR Hall of Famer, Passes Away at Age 89
Fred Lorenzen, who captured 26 victories over a 158-race NASCAR Cup Series career (16.5% winning percentage) spanning from 1956 to 1972, passed away at the age of 89. NASCAR Confirmed the passing of the racing legend on Wednesday.
Lorenzen, affectionately known as "The Golden Boy" was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2015. The native of Elmhurst, Illinois was one of the first big-name NASCAR racers.
"Fred Lorenzen was one of NASCAR's first true superstars. As 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," said Jim France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO in a statement. "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. On behalf of the France family and all of NASCAR, I want to offer our condolences to the friends and family of Fred Lorenzen."
While Lorenzen never collected a NASCAR Cup Series championship, due to never running a full-time campaign, the driver did record two championships in the USAC Stock Car Series in 1958 and 1959.
Lorenzen made a name for himself in the NASCAR ranks as the driver of the No. 28 Ford for Holman-Moody Racing as all but one of his 26 victories in the NASCAR Cup Series came driving for the famed organization.
In 1964, Lorenzen won five consecutive starts (Bristol, Atlanta, North Wilkesboro, Martinsville, and Darlington) although they didn't come in consecutive races on the schedule as Lorenzen raced sporadically.
Lorenzen was a two-time World 600 (now known as the Coca-Cola 600) race winner (1963, 1965) and he was the 1965 Daytona 500 champion.
Toby Christie is the Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. He has 15 years of experience as a motorsports journalist and has been with Racing America since 2023.