It came as an email from Ford’s PR guy, Dan Zacharias, Friday evening. Former NASCAR driver Fred Lorenzen is going to be honored by the Illinois General Assembly at Chicagoland Speedway on December 7, 2011. It is the start of a push by many to get Lorenzen into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. It brought back lots of memories. It made me smile.
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[/media-credit]The first race I ever attended, way back in 1964, was won by Lorenzen at Martinsville Speedway. For the major part of his career, he drove the No. 28 Ford out of the Holman-Moody shops to tremendous success. He won 26 races in his career, always running a limited schedule. The record shows that the 26 wins came in only 158 races, less than five seasons in today’s world. He was the first driver to win at NASCAR’s original super speedways (Daytona, Darlington, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Rockingham. From 1961-1967, he won a quarter of the races he ran, which brings me to the point of this article.
As I watched the festivities at Las Vegas tonight, and I’ve mentioned this in articles before, all the emphasis these days is on the season championship. It’s been bastardized by the Chase which allows a driver to have a horrible year and still win a championship by concentrating on the last ten races, but I’ve worn that opinion out over the years, but “Fearless Freddy” never ran the whole schedule. Much like David Pearson and Cale Yarborough in his later years, he ran selected races and was pretty successful in the races he ran. And they were stars. Not anymore. The television guys give us a running update on who is leading the points from Daytona on while always reminding us who is in the lead. Never mind who won the race, it’s the championship that counts.
Lorenzen has been on the ballot twice before without much interest from voters. That’s a shame. Probably part of it is because Lorenzen retired in 1967 at the tender age of 33. He came back in the early 70’s to run for Paul Goldsmith and the Wood Brothers, but left the sport in 1972 for good. Most of today’s enthusiasts probably don’t remember him, but I do. This event’s main purpose is to once again introduce one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers to voters. Unfortunately, the decision by the hall to allow only a limited number of inductees each year might spell doom for drivers like Lorenzen. The practice of only allowing a limited number of not only drivers, but car owners, crew chiefs, broadcasters, and officials, there is a good chance that guys like Fred will forever be overlooked. How can Lorenzen be chosen over today’s feel good guys like Rick Hendrick? It’s a flawed system that needs to be changed, but I’m afraid I am in the minority in this attitude.
Today, Fred Lorenzen is in a nursing home suffering from dementia. It would be wonderful to see him get in the hall before he dies. The same could be said for Chris Economaki and many others. The trouble is that the current policies will make it impossible for many of the heroes of the sport to ever get in the hall. Those without a championship need not apply. I find that horrible.
Yes, he belongs in the Hall of Fame. Lorenzen, Buck Baker, Fireball Roberts, Tim Flock, all belong ahead of a still deserving Darrell Waltrip. (I do think Waltrip was chosen to improve attendance with the younger crowd). Lorenzen was smart, understood the car, very seldom blew a motor at a time that was a real issue, and brought the car back in one piece. If he was in the race, he was a factor. He won the second, third and fourth races I attended.
Now, you also mentioned some of the owners of the “super teams.” Holman-Moody was the first super team. Purpose-built race cars, large facility, engineers. Lee Holman still keeps the name alive in Charlotte, NC. THAT should be the first “super team” inducted instead of Hendrick, Roush, Childress, and Gibbs. Maybe the voters should do a little research.
Heck, the sport would have died in the 60s had Darel Derringer not tested the inner liner. The old sedans the used at that time had a penchant for blowing tires. Another tribute to Lorenzen as he could care for the tires, adjust his line, and win. Derringer tested the inner liner or the sport would not be here today for us to enjoy.
He was one of the best. Smart, calculated and was excellent with the fans. Oh, he also understood the car. He should be in the Hall, ahead of someone like Darrell Waltrip, who also deserves his shot, but after drivers like Buck Baker, Fred Lorenzen, and Fireball Roberts. Problem is the mdeia covering the sport knows very little about the drivers who made the sport. That’s sad.
You mentioned the bulk of Fred’s career was spent in the Holman-Moody Fords. Another sad fact is the super team of the 60s and early 70s is not on the ballot. It cheapens the Hall, and lowers its status as a true Hall of Fame, if late-comers Hendrick, Roush, and Childress arrive before them.
Maybe the new writers should do a little research.
Yes everything you said about Fred is true. Yes he deserves to be in the hall for many reasons. He was good for the sport before and he is now. He is a link to the past and an icon for today’s racers. Hope he is on the ballot, again, this coming year. I’ll be there in Joliet, with his family. Hope Fred can be there too. So many still remember him and his career.