"In his short time in NASCAR, he won more than anybody" - Kenny Wallace pays heartfelt tribute to Fred Lorenzen after his death at 89

Kenny Wallace recently talked about the incredible achievements of late NASCAR legend Fred Lorenzen.

Lorenzen, who raced in NASCAR between 1958 and 1972, won 26 races during 12 years in the Cup Series. He was successful on high-speed tracks and won the 1965 Daytona 500 but never ran a full NASCAR season. Lorenzen passed away this Wednesday, December 18.

On an episode of ''Coffee with Kenny," Wallace paid tribute to Lorenzen, who battled dementia in his later years and would have turned 90 in twelve days.

"I want to pay my condolences to The Golden Boy’s family, the great Freddy Lorenzen. I remember Kyle Petty years ago said to me, he goes, 'You know, Freddy Lorenzen has one of the reatest winning percentages in NASCAR... Freddy Lorenzen, his nickname was The Golden Boy. He didn't race a lot in NASCAR, but in his short time in NASCAR and the time that he raced, he won more than anybody,'" Wallace said (00:56).

Lorenzen was also nicknamed "Fast Freddie," "Fearless Freddy" and "the Elmhurst Express."

"My prayers to the great Freddy Lorenzen, The Golden Boy. That was a time in NASCAR history, I guess you could say it was golden, right? (01:36)

Lorenzen was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015.

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"The picture-perfect NASCAR star" - NASCAR Chairman on Fred Lorenzen

Fred Lorenzen started as a dirt track racer and won two USAC Stock Car titles in 1958 and 1959.

The Elmhurst, Illinois native joined the Holman-Moody team for the 1961 NASCAR season and won three races. Lorenzen was also the first driver to earn over $100,000 in a single season in 1963.

"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," NASCAR Chairman Jim France said 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," he added.

Lorenzen raced a banned car at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1966. The unique Ford Galaxie or "Yellow Banana", was allowed to compete for a year during a Ford boycott.

Lorenzen led 24 laps and crashed due to a mechanical issue but the car became a talked about vehicle that is still remembered now.