NASCAR community mourns passing of Cale Yarborough

NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough, the first driver to win three consecutive series championships, has died. He was 84.

His 83 career Cup wins ties him with Jimmie Johnson for sixth on the all-time wins list.

Yarborough’s record of three consecutive championships (1976-78) was among those thought to never be broken until Johnson won five in a row from 2006-10.

Yarborough won the Southern 500 five times and the Daytona 500 four times. His Daytona win total is second only to Richard Petty’s seven wins in that race.

Yarborough was a part of a seminal moment in NASCAR as one of the drivers involved in the final lap and fight in the 1979 Daytona 500.

Yarborough was dueling Donnie Allison for the lead on the final lap when they bounced off each other on the backstretch and crashed in the third turn. Petty went by to win the race.

After the race, Yarborough got into a fight with Donnie and Bobby Allison, who had stopped at the accident scene to check on his brother after the race.

NASCAR CEO Jim France stated: “Cale Yarborough was one of the toughest competitors NASCAR has ever seen. His combination of talent, grit and determination separated Cale from his peers, both on the track and in the record book.

“He was respected and admired by competitors and fans alike and was as comfortable behind the wheel of a tractor as he was behind the wheel of a stock car. On behalf of the France family and NASCAR, I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Cale Yarborough.”

Others in NASCAR shared their thoughts on social media: