Old Find To Brighten Fred Lorenzen's Day

Table of Content

• Bristol Motor Speedway Promises to Deliver – Sprint Cup Preview
• Regions Etsy does business in:
• Vintage Original Magazine Ad Advertisement, Western Auto, Fred Lorenzen, Tires, Automobile, Vehicle, 1960s
• A Great Day for the Hall of Fame, but the Procedure is Flawed
• Fred Lorenzen diagnosed with the onset of dementia moved to nursing home

So naturally, when Petty showed up at last week's Mecum auction in Houston (which I co-host for NBCSN), I asked him if he remembered racing at “West Virginia International Speedway,” as it was then known. He went down south from his home in Chicago but as a Yankee, he was well liked by race crowds in the South. His later years were troubled with health issues that many blame on his many serious wrecks druing NASCAR’s most dangerous time. Like many famous people and celebrities, Fred Lorenzen keeps his personal life private.

The car backed into a concrete wall on the backstretch, flipped and caught on fire. Although he rallied substantially in the coming days and weeks, Roberts died a little more than a month later on July 2. Fred Lorenzen never ran even close to a full schedule in NASCAR's Grand National ranks, what would today be considered the Sprint Cup Series. The races he did run, however, were something to behold. Personal prints, cards and gifts, or reference for artists.

Bristol Motor Speedway Promises to Deliver – Sprint Cup Preview

I need to know my dad's legacy will live on forever and he will not be forgotten. We've donated many trophies to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the Motorsports Hall of Fame, as well as to some smaller museums. If you're reading this story, I hope you will be able to see some of those trophies, reminisce and smile at what my father has brought to stock car racing.

Morning to make things just right for the next day's big race." Lorenzen compiled an amazing record of wins that clearly made him the dominant driver of NASCAR during a very significant portion of its Golden Era. For all the hurt caused by the loss of Roberts and the inevitable frustrations that are simply a part of NASCAR, he missed it. Still, over the years, Lorenzen turned down offer after offer to make appearances at various tracks. It wasn't that he didn't want to go, Gardstrom now realizes. Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett got caught up on the eighth lap, and Roberts looped his car to avoid them.

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Just one of Lorenzen's victories came on a paved track of less than a half-mile in length, and just one took place on dirt. Send me exclusive offers, unique gift ideas, and personalized tips for shopping and selling on Etsy. Found something you love but want to make it even more uniquely you?

I just hope Lorenzen's fond memories of his trackside days continue nonetheless linger as he advances into his unfortunate dementia. First driver to win the same 500-mile superspeedway race three years in a row (Atlanta 500, 1962–1964). Afterward, one of Gardstrom's most difficult tasks was figuring out what to do with her father's trophies and memorabilia. They couldn't sit in her basement for no one to see, doing nothing but collecting dust.

Vintage Original Magazine Ad Advertisement, Western Auto, Fred Lorenzen, Tires, Automobile, Vehicle, 1960s

Lorenzen now lives in assisted living in a suburb of Chicago surrounded by his family. In his heyday from 1962–65, Lorenzen was the top driver in NASCAR. On the super speedways, Lorenzen defeated all of his competition to compile an unprecedented streak of wins in major races. Racing for money instead of points, Lorenzen never competed for the annual Grand National championship, but he won the big races that made him the uncrowned King of NASCAR during its golden years. Lorenzen's countless fans waited for a long time for Lorenzen's brilliant career to be recognized with his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

"It's just something I wanted to do," Lorenzen said in a 2007 NASCAR.COM profile. "When you decide you want to do something, you put your mind to it and you can do it. You've gotta really want it, though. I gave up everything to go racing. I didn't party, nothing." All these years later, almost exactly 44 years since motoring to his last checkered flag, Lorenzen receives at least a couple of pieces of fan mail every day. How can Lorenzen remember things that are nearly five decades in the past so much better than what took place just five minutes ago? Fred Lorenzen was once a man who stood at the very pinnacle of what it means to be a NASCAR superstar, but now, some days are better than others.

Salvador DALI : Don Quichotte - Signed and numbered LITHOGRAPH, 500 copies

This attempt was short-lived, however, and he moved over to drive USAC stock cars where he won championships in 1958 and 1959 before forming a NASCAR team in 1960. His second attempt at NASCAR resulted in ten races, including a solid run late in the year at Atlanta.... A run that caught the eye of Ralph Moody, the partner of John Holman and half of perhaps the greatest car building team in NASCAR history. The very next time back at Charlotte, Lorenzen won in his final start of 1964.

We welcome you to provide your thoughts and memories on our Tribute Wall. To send flowers or plant a tree in memory of Fred Lorenzen, visit the Tribute Store. Shipping policies vary, but many of our sellers offer free shipping when you purchase from them. Typically, orders of $35 USD or more qualify for free standard shipping from participating Etsy sellers.

Fred Lorenzen’s birth sign is Capricorn and he has a ruling planet of Saturn. Fred Lorenzen’s mother’s name is unknown at this time and his father’s name is under review. We will continue to update information on Fred Lorenzen’s parents.

He tells me the tales of how he would be in the driveway all day and all night building cars. "When the kids in high school were out partying, I was playing with cars." He explained the block that was now filled with beautiful homes and lively families was once all open space. He built his first car using an engine from his dad's old lawn mower. That didn't stop him, he added a tall pole and put a flag on it so he'd be seen. He made his car faster, so no one could catch him.

He won again in a rain-shortened Daytona 500 the following year, and then took home yet another Charlotte trophy a few months later. This time it was for the World 600, the same event that cost his friend's life the year before. He ran several races in 1966, and just five more in 1967. After a brief comeback attempt in the early 1970s, Lorenzen's career was over. Prior to the 1964 season, Waddell Wilson moved over from Fireball Roberts' Holman Moody team to work with Lorenzen building engines and jacking the car during pit stops.

His good showing at Atlanta resulted in a Christmas Eve telephone call from Moody who wanted Fred to drive his race cars in 1961. For the first time, he was pitted in top-notch equipment against such legends as Curtis Turner, Fireball Roberts, and Junior Johnson. Though his Holman and Moody debut resulted in a wreck and a 33rd-place finish, Fred Lorenzen was en route to a stellar career as one of NASCAR's brightest new stars. As he once said to the media, "Ford and Holman-Moody made me." Born on December 30, 1934, Lorenzen's first races were for bragging rights on local roads against area hotrodders in a 1952 Oldsmobile. His talent obvious, he entered NASCAR competition in 1956, making seven starts and a grand total of $250.