Cale Yarborough

High school

Timmonsville High School

Pro team(s)

Wood Brothers Racing, Junior Johnson & Associates, M.C. Anderson Racing

Hall of Fame

⭐ NASCAR Hall of Fame

William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough was born on March 27, 1939, in Timmonsville, South Carolina (Florence County), and grew up in the tobacco-farming country of the Pee Dee region where he attended Timmonsville High School before his passion for racing consumed him completely. He began racing at Darlington Raceway, the nearest superspeedway to his hometown, sneaking into events as a teenager before eventually earning his way onto the NASCAR Cup circuit. Yarborough became one of the sport's most versatile and durable competitors over more than two decades, but his greatest achievement was accomplished between 1976 and 1978 with car owner Junior Johnson: he won three consecutive NASCAR Cup Series championships — the first and, for nearly a quarter century, the only driver ever to accomplish that feat. He won 83 Cup Series races in his career (8th all-time), five Daytona 500 victories, and the nickname "Flossie Blossie" from his friend Richard Petty. Famous for his relentless aggression on the track and an iron constitution, Yarborough was also at the center of one of NASCAR's most legendary moments: the 1979 Daytona 500 — the first 500-mile NASCAR race broadcast live, flag-to-flag, on national television — which ended with Yarborough and Donnie Allison in a fistfight on the infield as Richard Petty drove past to win. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012. Born and raised in Timmonsville, South Carolina.