Legendary NASCAR Hall Of Famer Passed Away On Wednesday

The NASCAR community lost a legend this week. Fred Lorenzen, who earned the nickname "Golden Boy" during his time behind the wheel, has passed away at 89 years old. 

Lorenzen made his NASCAR debut in 1956 at Langhorne Speedway. He then moved over to USAC Stock Car, winning championships in 1958 and 1959. After proving he can handle the competition, he returned to the Cup Series and won 26 races, including the Daytona 500 in 1965. His last victory came in 1967 during a Daytona Qualifier. Overall, he placed in the top ten a whopping 84 times. 

In 2001, Lorenzen was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. A few years earlier, he was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers. His greatest achievement came in 2015. Although it was long overdue, he was finally inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. 

On Wednesday afternoon, NASCAR CEO Jim France released a statement regarding Lorenzen's undeniable impact on the sport. 

"Fred Lorenzen was one of NASCAR's first true superstars," France said. "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 future grew NASCAR's popularity during its early years. For many years, NASCAR's 'Golden Boy' was also its gold standard, a fact that eventually led to the sport's pinnacle, a rightful place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. On behalf of the France family and all of NASCAR, I want to offer our condolences to the friends and family of Fred Lorenzen."