acegear
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Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 973
Location: Enumclaw, WA
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 Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2004 10:07 pm Post subject: Classic Driver: Cale Yarborough |
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Cale Yarborough's name is synonymous with success in NASCAR racing. His three Winston Cup Championships and 83 career victories make him a legend in the sport. Yarborough's awards, victories, and accolades cover volumes of text - from his first victory in 1965 to his last in 1985.
In 1987, Cale purchased Jack Bee's team and competed in 26 Winston Cup races as an owner/driver before retiring in 1988. It's been ten years since his last trip to the winner's circle, and Yarborough is itching to return. He believes 1996 will be the year he will do it. When he talks about his driver and his crew chief, Cale speaks repeatedly about talent and desire - the elements that allowed him so much success in his own driving career.
Like many of his contemporaries, Cale Yarborough was born to race, but his friends say that he would have succeeded in any sport. Known as a daredevil, who loves a challenge, Cale will try just about anything. From his first solo airplane flight at age 13 to hang gliding, or from boat racing to stock car racing, he loves to go fast! To quote Junior Johnson, another NASCAR legend, "Cale Yarborough is the best driver the sport has ever seen. When you strap Cale into the car, it's like adding 20 horsepower."
His first official year of competition is what we know today as the Winston Cup Series was 1965. His first victory came that year, the Valdosta 100 in Valdosta, Georgia. Eighty-two wins followed, including taking the checkered flag at virtually every major racetrack in the country, covering 12 different states. Having grown up in Timmonsville, South Carolina, his most memorable victory came on " The track too tough to tame" - Darlington Raceway - his backyard. Cale tamed Darlington five times.
Talladega Superspeedway is another track on which Yarborough has enjoyed success. His three Winston Cup victories, all in the Winston Select 500, and another win in the IROC Series, puts him in a tie for sixth place on Talladega's all-time win list. A hard-charger, Cale is still fifth on the list of Talladega's all-time lap leaders with 568, and is second in poles with six.
Yarborough is second on the list of most laps led (31,776), fifth in most races led (340) and 10th for most miles run (171,927) in NASCAR Winston Cup history. He is a four-time winner of the Daytona 500 and a five-time winner of the Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. In 1984, he became the first driver to qualify for the Daytona 500 at more than 200 mph. His 14 pole positions in 1980 and five consecutive victories in 1976 still stand as single-season records. During his career, Cale started on the pole 68 times at 17 different tracks.
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A win is a win, and second place is never good enough |
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