Fred Lorenzen

Fred Lorenzen was nicknamed “The Golden Boy” because of his golden blond hair, dashing good looks and a flamboyant driving style that captivated fans and media alike. Born in Elmhurst, Illinois, Lorenzen built his first race car at the age of 13. Before the age of 20, he was a late model and modified racing veteran.

Lorenzen’s NASCAR career began at Langhorne Speedway in 1956. He finished only 26th that day, but his success was meteoric. After his first win at the 1961 Martinsville 200-mile Grand National race, Lorenzen would go on to win 25 more NASCAR races with 32 poles. In 1963 he became NASCAR first $100,000-winning driver for a season. In 1965, he would win on NASCAR’s biggest stage when he claimed top honors in the Daytona 500.

In his glory days with Ford, Lorenzen drove for legendary Holman-Moody and Junior Johnson, but never campaigned as a full-season driver. Despite that, Lorenzen scored as high as third in championship points in 1964, a season that saw him win half of the 16 races he entered. Lorenzen was inducted into the International Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2001 and named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.