Qualifying for the 1983 Daytona 500 was a narrative of highs and lows for NASCAR driver Cale Yarborough. He grew to become the primary driver in historical past to run a qualifying lap quicker than 200 miles per hour, however on his second cross of the Daytona International Speedway, Yarborough misplaced management of his No. 28 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. The automotive was destroyed, and his Ranier-Lundy crew didn’t have a backup. But Yarborough nonetheless gained the race — behind the wheel of a Pontiac LeMans that had been serving as as static show automotive outdoors of a neighborhood Hardee’s restaurant.
Having crested 200.5 miles per hour on his first quali lap, Yarborough felt he had extra in him. He had simply moved to the Ranier-Lundy crew for the ‘83 season, and it was clear that the partnership was going to be a fruitful one.
But on the second lap, Yarborough lost control. His car spun in Turn 4, flipping before smashing into the outside wall. Video footage of the wreck is wild — you can see his windshield popping out before the car comes to rest, a crumpled wreck, in the infield:
Because the Daytona 500 is the first race of the NASCAR season, not every team would be prepared with a full compliment of spares and back-up cars, and that was the case for the Ranier-Lundy team. But with Yarborough’s spectacular tempo, it could have been completely felony for him to overlook such an vital race.
That meant Ranier-Lundy needed to get inventive. As it scrambled to discover a automobile for its driver, the crew solid a large web. Ultimately, it landed on a very unlikely candidate. Yarborough was sponsored by the Hardee’s quick meals chain for the 1983 Daytona 500, and one of many native eating places really had a static present automotive out entrance to advertise the large race. While Ranier-Lundy had confirmed up with a Chevy Monte Carlo, it must accept a producer swap, because the present automotive was a Pontiac LeMans. Anything was potential, as long as it meant getting Yarborough again behind the wheel.
So, the crew commandeered the present automotive, it caught a powerplant into the empty engine bay and it despatched Yarborough off to race.
And on race day, Yarborough gained his third Daytona 500 beneath what ought to have been inconceivable situations. On the very last lap, Buddy Baker led a good pack of automobiles that included Yarborough, Joe Ruttman, and Bill Elliott and appeared set to win — till Yarborough slipstreamed by Baker on the backstretch. Ruttman drafted into second whereas Baker tried to sneak beneath Ruttman, simply in time for Elliott to catch up and stick his nostril forward. It was a three-wide end for second place — however up entrance, it was Yarborough who took the checkered flag.
And simply in case you thought the 1983 500 couldn’t have any extra historic firsts, we obtained only one extra. Yarborough’s Pontiac was fitted with an in-car digital camera, which was a fairly uncommon piece of know-how on the time because of its expense. As a consequence, it was the primary time viewers at residence obtained to see dwell footage from the victor as he cruised into victory lane. Not solely did we get unbelievable footage of Yarborough’s win from trackside cameras, however we additionally had the pleasure of listening to him make his very personal set of race automotive noises contained in the automotive:
Yarborough died on December 31, 2023 on the age of 84, and motorsport followers world wide have paid tribute to the South Carolina racer’s incredible profession. There’s lots to have a good time: He was the primary driver to win three consecutive Cup Series championships, secured 4 Daytona 500 wins, and was a pure inductee for motorsport halls of fame round America. In an exceptionally fascinating life, Yarborough’s win behind the wheel of a present automotive is one among his most unbelievable moments.
Source: jalopnik.com