INDIANAPOLIS - Indianapolis 500 starter Cale Yarborough has died at 84 years old in South Carolina.
According to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Yarborough, who made four Indianapolis 500 starts, was also a championship-winning NASCAR driver and one of the most significant stock car drivers in history.
Yarborough's first Indianapolis 500 start in 1966, driving for Rolla Vollstedt, was marked by an unexpected challenge. Overwhelmed by the massive crowd attending the qualifying days at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he found himself stuck in traffic. Unfazed, he parked his car in a resident's yard and walked to the track, securing the 24th spot in the No. 66 Jim Robbins Vollstedt/Ford.
He has earned multiple Daytona 500 victories throughout his career and is on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory list.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles said this in a statement:
“Cale Yarborough was not just a NASCAR champion and Daytona 500 winner, he was one of the most versatile race car drivers our sport has seen. He qualified for four Indianapolis 500s during one of the race’s most competitive eras and competed in a season of INDYCAR SERIES racing – scoring two top-five finishes – in 1971 during the height of his driving career. The fans and drivers at IMS loved his competitive spirit, passion, and understanding and appreciation of what racing at Indianapolis means, whether as a driver or team owner. Our sport and our event have lost an icon.”
Learn more about his storied life and career here.