Cale Yarborough – American Badass
Cale Yarborough was an American Badass.
When we got the news that Cale Yarborough had passed away on New Years Eve (age 84), I got this rush of memories like most NASCAR fans. But it wasn’t the wins or championships that came to mind (BTW – he won three consecutive titles and was one of the greatest drivers ever).
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – JULY 1981: NASCAR driver Cale Yarborough emerges from his race car in Victory Lane after winning the 1981 Firecracker 400 stock car race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. He will be interviewed by ABC-TV broadcaster Chris Economaki. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
What I thought about most was being a kid and seeing him on TV – that #11 Chevelle Laguna for Holly Farms. Turning on the Daytona 500 to see Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, David Pearson…but there was something badass about Cale Yarborough and the way he drove that car. He was the coolest guy on the track (and that’s saying something when you’re out there with Petty and Pearson).
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 16, 1980: NASCAR driver Cale Yarborough sits in his car prior to a practice session for the 1980 Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway on February 16, 1980 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
Cale just seemed different – here I was a little kid in Southern California in awe of this guy with the South Carolina twang and look in his eye that I didn’t understand – but I knew he was tough like my dad (if that makes any sense),
There are certain drivers that I’ve gravitated to over my lifetime. They have this quality that’s hard to quantify. Mario Andretti, Aryton Senna, Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Unser, Cale Yarborough. It was more than just winning races with these drivers. There’s a genuine nature to them…and a mischievous side that resonated with the young boy who would jump a 10 speed off a bike ramp while the other kids had their BMX bikes (I needed more speed – and more front axles).
Auto Racing: NASCAR Daytona 500: Cale Yarborough (11) at pit stop during race at Daytona International Speedway.
Daytona Beach, FL 2/20/1977
CREDIT: Tony Triolo (Photo by Tony Triolo /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
(Set Number: X21215 TK1 )
Matt Yocum said it best about Cale:
Cale walked in cowboy boots like a gun fighter that never lost, pet bear, bitten by rattle snake, parachuted 200+, emergency landed plane on muddy road in storm rescued by James Garner/Smothers, snapped power line w/ ultra lite. Add HOF racing. Classy. Mans man. RIP Great One. pic.twitter.com/Uo0HpeKiKi
— Matt Yocum (@MattYocum) December 31, 2023
Cale walked in cowboy boots like a gun fighter that never lost, pet bear, bitten by rattle snake, parachuted 200+ times, emergency landed plane on muddy road in storm rescued by James Gardner/Smothers, snapped power line with ultra lite. Add HOF racing. Mans man. RIP Great One.
Cale was an American Badass.
