Cale Yarborough

Cale Yarborough of Timmonsville, S.C., was the son of a tobacco farmer who became an high school all-state football running back. As a kid in 1950, Cale jumped the fence of nearby Darlington Raceway to watch the Southern 500. Cale’s NASCAR driving debut was also at Darlington in 1957, but his first attempt at NASCAR racing was not a successful one, disqualified by NASCAR officials for not giving his real age on his entry form.

Yarborough’s 83 wins place him fifth on the all-time Cup win list, achieving that distinction while driving for legendary teams such as the Wood Brothers and Junior Johnson. He is a three-time Cup Series champion (1976, 1977 and 1978) and a four-time Daytona 500 Champion (1968, 1977, 1983 and 1984). Yarborough’s presence in the record books at Daytona is the stuff of legend. Yarborough was the first driver to qualify at 200 mph or better at Daytona in 1984. His total number of wins (15) at Daytona ranks him third on the all-time list.

Yarborough’s career spanned 31 years. In that time he amassed 560 starts with 69 poles, and an astounding 310 top-10 finishes. Yarborough was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994 and named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.