(1939-03-27)March 27, 1939 Timmonsville, South Carolina, U.S.
Died
December 31, 2023(2023-12-31) (aged 84) Florence, South Carolina, U.S.
Achievements
1976, 1977, 1978 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion 1984 IROC Champion 1968, 1977, 1983, 1984 Daytona 500 Winner 1968, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1982 Southern 500 Winner 1978, 1984 Winston 500 Winner 1985 Talladega 500 Winner Holds Winston Cup Series modern era record for most poles in a season (14 poles in 1980)
Awards
1967 NASCAR Grand National Series Most Popular Driver[1] International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1993) National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame (1994)[2] Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1994) Court of Legends at Charlotte Motor Speedway (1996) 3× National Motorsports Press Association Driver of the Year (1977, 1978, 1979) 1977 American Driver of the Year South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame (1978) Talladega Walk of Fame (1996) Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) NASCAR Hall of Fame (2012) Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023)
NASCAR Cup Series career
560 races run over 31 years
Best finish
1st (1976, 1977, 1978)
First race
1957 Southern 500 (Darlington)
Last race
1988 Atlanta Journal 500 (Atlanta)
First win
1965 untitled race (Valdosta)
Last win
1985 Miller High Life 500 (Charlotte)
Wins
Top tens
Poles
83
319
69
NASCAR Grand National East Series career
8 races run over 2 years
Best finish
13th (1973)
First race
1972 Sandlapper 200 (Columbia)
Last race
1973 Buddy Shuman 100 (Hickory)
Wins
Top tens
Poles
0
7
0
Statistics current as of December 31, 2023.
William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough[3] (March 27, 1939 – December 31, 2023)[4] was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner, businessman, farmer, and rancher. He was one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships, winning in 1976, 1977, and 1978. He was one of the preeminent stock car drivers from the 1960s to the 1980s and also competed in IndyCar events. His fame was such that a special model of the Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II was named after him.
His 83 wins tie him with Jimmie Johnson for sixth on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series winner's list (behind Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip, who are tied for fourth with 84).[5] His 14.82% winning percentage is the ninth best of all-time and third among those with 500 or more starts.[6] Yarborough won the Daytona 500 four times; his first win coming in 1968 for the Wood Brothers, the second in 1977 for Junior Johnson, and back-to-back wins in 1983 and 1984 for Ranier-Lundy Racing.[7][8][9][10] Yarborough was a three-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Driver of the Year Award (1977, 1978, 1979).[11] After retiring, he owned Cale Yarborough Motorsports and several successful agricultural businesses as well as being a rancher and farmer himself on his own ranch at his home in Florence, South Carolina.
^":: National Motorsports Press Association ::". Nmpaonline.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
^":: National Motorsports Press Association ::". Nmpaonline.com. Archived from the original on August 26, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
^Hawkins, Jim (2003). Tales from the Daytona 500. Sports Publishing LLC. p. 107. ISBN 1-58261-530-6.
^Goldstein, Richard (December 31, 2023). "Cale Yarborough, Hall of Fame NASCAR Driver, Dies at 84" – via NYTimes.com.
^"Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site - All Time Sprint Cup Winners". Jayski.com. Archived from the original on July 4, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
^"Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site - All Time Winston Cup Winners". Jayski.com. Archived from the original on July 4, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
^"1968 Daytona 500". Racing-Reference.info. February 25, 1968. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
^"1977 Daytona 500". Racing-Reference.info. February 20, 1977. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
^"1983 Daytona 500". Racing-Reference.info. February 20, 1983. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
^"1984 Daytona 500". Racing-Reference.info. February 19, 1984. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
^":: National Motorsports Press Association ::". Nmpaonline.com. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough (March 27, 1939 – December 31, 2023) was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner, businessman, farmer, and...
CaleYarborough Motorsports was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series team that ran from 1987 to 2000. The team accomplished 13 top fives, 32 top 10s and three...
which easily distinguished them from other Chevelles. NASCAR driver CaleYarborough earned the first two of his three consecutive Winston Cup championships...
1968: For much of this race, both CaleYarborough and (unrelated) LeeRoy Yarbrough traded the lead. With 5 laps to go, Cale made a successful slingshot pass...
Clifford and Davey Allison. Bobby and Donnie's televised fistfight with CaleYarborough at the 1979 Daytona 500 has been credited with exposing NASCAR to a...
Donnie Allison started on the pole for races one and two, respectively. CaleYarborough was pessimistic about rivals' chances against Baker, saying "Baker...
season began on Sunday, January 18 and ended on Sunday, November 21. CaleYarborough, driving the #11 Junior Johnson Holly Farms Chevrolet scored his first...
Cup champion at the end of the season finishing 67 points ahead of CaleYarborough. Lennie Pond was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year, succeeding Larry...
won his first Winston Cup championship, winning by 19 points over CaleYarborough. Jody Ridley was crowned NASCAR Rookie of the Year. Winston Western...
when CaleYarborough spun and seized his eleventh race in his last 23 starts, and fourth straight win on a California speedway. Daytona 500 - Cale Yarborough...
forms. Notable people with the surname include: Barton Yarborough, American radio actor CaleYarborough, American race car driver Camille Yarbrough American...
the lead. He held off a late rally by CaleYarborough to win by only 67.15 points. August 1976: CaleYarborough drove his #11 Junior Johnson/Holly Farms...
season began on Sunday, January 22 and ended on Sunday, November 19. CaleYarborough driving the Junior Johnson #11 First National City Travelers Checks...
Speedway, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Sports pundits Donnie Allison and CaleYarborough regard the 1979 Daytona 500 as the most important race in stock car...
formerly competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series until 1987, fielding CaleYarborough during the 1980s late in its operations. The team later became Robert...
down." CaleYarborough escaped to the win when LeeRoy Yarbrough crashed on the final lap. 1970: A scoring controversy marred CaleYarborough's rally to...
1984, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. CaleYarborough, who won the pole, completed a lap of 201.848 miles per hour (324.843 km/h)...
Pearson moved into a group of lapped cars that included CaleYarborough; inexplicably Yarborough got into Pearson and David spun down the backstretch. The...
Ricky Rudd 88 – Buddy Baker 2 – Rusty Wallace 4 – Joe Ruttman 28 – CaleYarborough The 7-Eleven Twin 125's were run on February 14 at Daytona. Bill Elliott...
champion at the end of the season finishing 567.45 points ahead of CaleYarborough, while David Pearson finished a strong third in points despite only...
earlier in the year). Challenges by Dale Earnhardt and CaleYarborough fell apart; Yarborough finished second despite breaking a power steering line....
best NASCAR finish of Guthrie's career. CaleYarborough took the win, his eighth of the season. 1978: Yarborough took the win in the first night running...
battled back to the start-finish line. Petty and CaleYarborough diced it out on that lap, with Yarborough drafting and taking an early lead before Petty...
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