Yarborough, Cale (1939-2023), was one of the greatest drivers in the history of American stock car racing. Stock cars are sedans that have been modified to increase their speed and power. Yarborough was the first driver to win three consecutive Cup Series championships on the NASCAR racing circuit. He won the Winston Cup (now NASCAR Cup) Championship in 1976, 1977, and 1978. He finished second in 1973, 1974, and 1980. NASCAR is the organization that governs the most popular form of stock car automobile racing in the United States. Its full name is the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.
William Caleb Yarborough was born near Timmonsville, South Carolina, on March 27, 1939. He drove his first NASCAR race in 1957 and won his first race in 1965. Yarborough retired in 1988 after winning 83 races. He won the famous Daytona 500 in 1968, 1977, 1983, and 1984. Yarborough was a racecar team owner from 1986 through 1997.
In 1986, Yarborough published his autobiography, Cale: The Hazardous Life and Times of the World’s Greatest Stock Car Driver. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1993, into both the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1994, and into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012. Yarborough died on Dec. 31, 2023.
