NASCAR Hall of Famer and 1965 Daytona 500 champion Fred Lorenzen has died at 89, NASCAR said on Wednesday.
Lorenzen, who won 26 career Cup races, was named in NASCAR’s list of its 50 greatest drivers of all time in 1998. He also became the first NASCAR driver to earn more than $100,000 in a single season in 1963.
He retired in 1972 at the age of 38 citing his desire to spend time with his family, according to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
“Fred Lorenzen was one of NASCAR’s first true superstars. A fan favorite, he helped NASCAR expand from its original roots,’ NASCAR chairman and CEO 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.’
Lorenzen, fondly called the ‘Elmhurst Express,’ ‘Fast Freddie’ and ‘Fearless Freddie’ by his fans, had been battling dementia for years, according to U.S. media reports.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame also issued a statement praising Lorenzen as ‘a legend whose impact will forever be felt in the sport.’
‘Fred’s nicknames personify him as well as anyone. “Fast Freddie” or “Fearless Freddie” described his penchant for driving fast and on the largest of NASCAR tracks. “The Golden Boy” was a nod to his Hollywood good looks. That combination made him one of the most successful and recognizable stars of NASCAR in the 1960’s and early 1970’s,’ NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director Winston Kelley said.
‘Despite his relatively short career, Fred left an indelible mark on NASCAR and his legion of fans.’