3 most legendary Cale Yarborough moments in NASCAR, ft. Donnie Allison fight

NASCAR driver Cale Yarborough - Source: Getty
Cale Yarborough's three iconic NASCAR moments - Source: Getty

Cale Yarborough died at the age of 84 but made his mark in the sport, especially during his peak period. He was renowned for his ability to drive in any condition. He raced in the USAC championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.

In his 31-year career in stock car racing, Yarborough had multiple unforgettable moments, ranging from his iconic crash in 1966 to his memorable fight with rival Donnie Allison at the Daytona 500. Let's take a look at the memorable moments of Yarborough's career.


#1. Cale Yarborough's brawl with old foe Donnie Allison

The 1979 Daytona 500 was the first live telecasted race of NASCAR and witnessed a heated moment between Cale Yarborough and his rival Donnie Allison while they competed for the lead in the final lap.

While entering turn three, the three-time Cup Series champion found an opening to overtake his rival, and things went south. Both cars collided multiple times, ruling the duo out of the race, and the seven-time Cup Series champion Richard Petty won the race.

This resulted in a heated situation on the track, and the duo began throwing punches at each other. Allison's brother Bobby intervened with the duo in the fight. Yarborough's rival never won the Daytona 500, and after the death of the South Carolina native, he went on an interview with SiriusXM radio and expressed his views on the 1979 race:

"No, he kept me from winning the Daytona 500. Winning for the third time, I should have won it. I'm sitting in the infield, wrecked, in turn four, three-quarters of a mile from the start-finish line."

Cale Yarborough secured four wins in the Daytona 500 race. He won his first race in 1968 while driving for Wood Brothers Racing, followed by his second win in 1977 under Junior Johnson & Associates. Yarborough scored two consecutive wins in 1983 and 1984 while driving for Ranier-Lundy Racing.


#2. Cale Yarborough's three straight Cup title wins

The former Cup Series driver shifted his focus to the USAC (United States Auto Club) series from 1971 to 1972. He returned to NASCAR in 1973 and ran for Richard Howard's team, Howard & Egerton Racing. Later the team was bought by Junior Johnson, and Cale Yarborough ended his 1974 season as the runner-up in the points table.

The Junior Johnson & Associates driver won his first championship title in 1976 scoring nine wins in the season with two pole positions and 22 top-five finishes. He then won his second title, dominating the 1977 season with nine wins in 30 starts and three pole positions. In the 1978 Winston Cup Series season, Yarborough scored 10 wins with eight pole positions and 23 top-five finishes, making his career-best record.


#3. Cale Yarborough's Darlington crash

The NASCAR Cup Series champion secured his first win in an untitled race in 1965 at Valdosta 75 Speedway and earned his seat in Banjo Matthews' car for the Southern 500 race in 1966 at Darlington Speedway. He was in a three-way car battle with Sam McQuagg and Darel Dieringer in the said race.

During lap 118 on turn one, the three-time Cup Series champion tried to overtake McQuagg, sending his car into the guardrails, and Cale Yarborough's car flew out of the track. The Matthews Racing driver walked out of the fatal crash without a scratch and made his way to the pit road. The incident resulted in Ned Jarrett winning the race with a margin of 14 laps.

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Edited by Aayush Kapoor
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