CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Fred Lorenzen, a NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and the winner of the 1965 Daytona 500, died Wednesday. He was 89.
NASCAR released a statement that Lorenzen had died and had confirmed the death with his family. A cause of death wasn’t given, but Lorenzen had been in declining health for years.
In 1998, he was named one of NASCAR’s “50 Greatest Drivers.”
One of stock-car racing’s first superstars, Lorenzen was known as the “Golden Boy” for his rugged, movie-star looks. He won 26 career races on NASCAR’s highest level and made starts in 12 seasons from 1956 to 1972.
“Fred Lorenzen was one of NASCAR’s first true superstars. A fan favorite, he helped NASCAR expand from its original roots. Fred was the picture-perfect NASCAR star, helping to bring the sport to the silver screen — which further grew NASCAR’s popularity during its early years,” NASCAR chairman Jim France said in a release. “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.”