“A fan favorite”: NASCAR legend and ‘golden boy’ Fred Lorenzen passes away at 89

Fred Lorenzen, a NASCAR legend and the Daytona 500 champion in 1965, passed away on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, aged 89. NASCAR analyst Bob Pockrass broke the news by sharing a post quoting the Stock Car Association's chairman Jim France's condolences.

In 1998, Lorenzen was adjudged NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers. He was among the first superstars in stock car racing and was named "Golden Boy" for his rugged movie-star looks. Lorenzen also won 26 Cup Series races in just 158 starts, followed by 84 top-ten finishes and 32 pole positions in his 12-year career.

"Fred Lorenzen was one of NASCAR's first true superstars. 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," stated Jim France, NASCAR Chairman & CEO.

"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," he added.

Fred Lorenzen set a new record in his career in 1964 when he competed in 16 of the scheduled 62 races. He won eight races, including five consecutive races. He showcased his dominance on track and led 1,679 laps of the possible 1,953 laps. He also became the first driver to earn more than $100,000 in a single season, and Lorenzen did it decades ago in 1963.

Golden Boy was fighting with dementia in his last years and donated his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation.

Journey of the NASCAR's Golden Boy Fred Lorenzen

Fred Lorenzen began his journey in racing when he was a 15-year-old. He competed with his friends in a contest to flip a 1937 Plymouth by cranking the car in circles in his hometown of Elmhurst, Illinois. Lorenzen emerged as the winner in the event among his fans.

Golden Boy began racing modified and late-model cars after graduating from high school. This led to his debut in the NASCAR Cup Series in 1956, and he competed in his first race at the Langhorne Speedway, where he finished 26th on the grid after suffering from a broken fuel pump, winning a prize of $25.

Lorenzen then moved to the USAV stock car series and won the championship in 1958 and 1959 while driving a Chevy built by Talarico Bros. The former Cup Series driver encountered a life-changing moment on Christmas Eve in 1960 when Ralph Moody called him and offered the lead driver position for his team.

Fred Lorenzen accepted the offer and began his dominating career in NASCAR. He won his first race at the Martinsville Speedway in 1961, and till 1966 he outperformed every driver on the track. He scored his best Cup Series finish in 1963, clinching third place in the points table while racing for Holman Moody Racing, Wood Brothers Racing, and McKinney Racing throughout the year.