'Fearless Freddy' Lorenzen was NASCAR's most underappreciated legend

The NASCAR world misplaced a legend on Wednesday. Corridor of Famer Fred Lorenzen died on the age of 89. When NASCAR followers talk about who the best drivers of all time are, Lorenzen’s title is seldom talked about. 

Lorenzen by no means received a championship. In truth, solely as soon as, in 1963, did he ever run greater than half of the races on the Cup Sequence schedule. How good was he in 1963? Regardless of solely beginning 29 of 55 races, Lorenzen managed to complete third in factors. 

The person often known as “Fearless Freddy” might invoke concern in his opponents simply by exhibiting as much as the racetrack. 

A name from legendary crew proprietor Ralph Moody in December 1960 can be the catalyst for one of the underappreciated careers in NASCAR historical past. Previous to becoming a member of the Holman-Moody crew in 1961, Lorenzen solely had 17 winless begins to his title. 

Lorenzen’s biggest stretch would come from 1963 to 1965. In 62 begins over the three-year span, Lorenzen received 18 races — 29 p.c — of the 62 he competed in. 

In 1964, Lorenzen’s eight victories can be the high-water mark for his profession. Whereas he solely received 4 instances in 1965, two of these wins would etch his title in historical past. Lorenzen added two crown jewels to his assortment in 1965, successful each the Daytona 500 and World 600 in the identical season. 

Lorenzen solely received three extra races from 1966 to 1972, however he managed to remain within the information. Lorenzen was the pilot of Junior Johnson’s notorious “Yellow Banana,” a particularly unlawful Ford Galaxie fielded in an effort to spice up attendance amid Ford’s NASCAR boycott. 

Whereas Lorenzen by no means received a championship, a title is not wanted in an effort to perceive his greatness. Lorenzen chased the massive tracks and the massive payouts, paving the way in which for a fellow competitor in David Pearson and the Wooden Brothers to do the identical within the Seventies. 

Lorenzen practically received the Daytona 500 for a second time in 1967, solely to be bested by Mario Andretti, who spoke of his competitors with Lorenzen in a 2023 interview. 

“My teammate was Freddie Lorenzen, he was an ideal champion (in NASCAR),” Andretti stated of Lorenzen. “For the final (pit) cease, we got here in collectively. I used to be main and he was behind me, they usually let him out of the pits first. I needed to chase him down and I could not shake him till we got here up on some lapped automobiles.” 

Whereas he got here up shy of one other triumph within the Nice American Race, the 1967 Daytona 500 proved that Lorenzen might compete with the best race drivers on this planet. 

Lorenzen’s title might not carry the identical weight as different males he raced towards, but it surely does characterize a driver who will at all times be one of many greats, even when his story is comparatively unknown.