View Cale Yarborough
Cale Yarborough (William Caleb Yarborough)
By Gregg Leary
Category:NASCAR -> Sprint Cup
DOB: 3-27-39 (68)
Hometown: Sardis, SC (just outside Darlington)
When Cale was 11 he sneaked under the fence at Darlington to see his first Southern 500
At 17 he sneaked in again to DRIVE (NASCAR required drivers to be 21…Cale had a girlfriend who worked at the courthouse and sent them a fake birth certificate…they discovered the error and kicked him out again)
Drove his friend Bobby Weatherly’s car S44 F42
Age 12…his first race, Soap Box Derby…no motor…too slow
Sold his 4-H calf to buy a car
Struck by lightning twice
Bitten by a rattlesnake
Wrestled an alligator and a bear
Did more than 200 skydiving jumps
Played high school and semipro football
Golden Gloves boxer
Competed: 1957-88
Car owner for 11 seasons
John Andretti won at Daytona July 5, 1997 driving for Cale
Titles: 1976-78 (Only driver to win 3 straight)
Ran for Junior Johnson 1973-80…55 wins
Starts: 559
Wins: 83…fifth all time
Poles: 70
3-time runner-up for title
Daytona 500 Wins: (68, 77, 83, 84)
First driver to qualify for the Daytona 500 at over 200mph (1984)
5 Time winner of the Southern 500
Inducted into International Motorsports Hall of Fame 1993
Named One of Nascar’s 50 Greatest Drivers
#5 on Sporting News 50 Greatest Drivers…he was Dale Earnhardt before there WAS Dale Earnhardt…driving the wheels off the car…
Just as he was about to quit racing for good, he got a phone call from Jacques Passino, Ford’s Director of Racing to report to Holman-Moody
swept floors, did mechanical work and served on pit crews at Holman-Moody…finally got a chance to drive for them.
Yarborough drove for Holman-Moody, Banjo Matthews, Wood Brothers, Junior Johnson, M.C. Anderson, Harry Ranier
In 1963…Cale took over driving for Herman “The Turtle” Beam…Cale drove like the hare and “The Turtle” nearly fired him for wearing out the tires.
Cale is the only driver to lead all 500 laps at Bristol.
Cale ran 4 Indy 500’s…1966, 67, 71, 72…best finish of 10th in 1972
Flew over the fence at Darlington in 1965 (9-6-65)…after tangling with Sam McQuagg…told Banjo Matthews, “I broke your car.”
Named Darrell Waltrip…JAWS
“Cale jumped in the car and pushed the throttle to the floor before he switched it on. When the green fell, he locked the throttle on ‘kill’, gritted his teeth, and held on.” Bobby Allison.
Probably best known for his fistfight with the Allisons after the 1979 Daytona 500. Bobby said, “Cale kept punchin’ my fist with his nose.”
Junior Johnson supposedly said…”Just bring me back the steering wheel.” (Cale brought him 3 straight titles.) Junior called Cale, “Sneaky brave.”
Junior also said, “I’ve seen Cale drive cars that I didn’t think anybody could drive, and he would not quit. There was no end to his willpower.” He never called for a relief driver.
In 1978 Cale was invited to the White House by President Jimmy Carter.
Cale’s Quotes, “Driving a race car is like dancing with a chain saw.”
“Red clay is the greatest natural racing surface in the world.”
“Wipe away fear like you wipe away water from the windshield.”
“There are two types of racers: the hard-chargers and the also-rans.”
“In racing there is no rest between plays…no substitutions. You can’t let down for a minute.”
“I’d just like to be remembered as a man who drove every lap just as hard as he could.”
“Running bumper-to-bumper with a guy, wide open…that’s total commitment.”
“I like the money and I like the fame, but if I were a millionaire and we raced in private, I’d still be racing.”
“I’ve learned by trial and error. I’ve got a master’s degree in the school of hard knocks.”
“There’s no second, third, or fourth. Either you win, or you lose.”
“As good as racing can be, you’re never immune from the heartache.”
In 1973 lost the title to Benny Parsons “rebuilt” wrecked racecar in final race at Rockingham
In 1980 battled Earnhardt for the title down to the last race of the season
Frequently roomed with Tiny Lund…Tiny would dunk Cale in the pool…Cale got his revenge by dousing Tiny with ice water when he was in the shower….Tiny, naked, chased Cale until he literally ran into a “little old lady.”