TRIBUTES/MEMORIALS TO LEGENDS

            LeeRoy Yarbrough                        

Yarbrough is perhaps best known for the confusion his name caused -- although the spelling differed from that of the other Yarborough, Cale. The confusion was compounded in 1968 when both "Yarbs" drove dominant Fords on NASCAR's Winston Cup circuit, tallying a combined eight victories (two for Lee Roy, six for Cale).  LeeRoy Yarbrough was a supremely confident man throughout his stock car racing career. In his formative days, he was as cocky as they came, bragging that he could do things with a speedy automobile that others couldn't. While his self analysis was usually right on the money, it took him several years to gain the respect of his comrades. Curiously, once he hit the big time and began winning races on a regular basis, Yarbrough became quite humble. He was one of the first to direct lavish praise to his crew members during post-race interviews, and he was often heard thanking the Lord for his gifted talents.

     

Yarbrough's most successful season was in 1969 when he won seven races, tallied 21 top-10 finishes and earned $193,211. Had the Winston Million program been in place that year, Yarbrough would have won it with victories at the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600 and the Southern 500.

A versatile driver, LeeRoy Yarbrough drove virtually everything that had wheels, and quite effectively. He drove in 3 Indianapolis 500-mile classics and was also entered in the inaugural California 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway in 1970. Yarbrough was driving the Norris Industries IndyCar and very nearly won the race. Starting on the outside of the 3rd row, Yarbrough had no difficulty in handling the lightning high speeds or Ontario's tricky corners. He was leading with 9 laps remaining when the engine blew, relegating him to a 9th place finish.
 

Bounding with liberal amounts of self-confidence, LeeRoy Yarbrough became a hardcore speed artist with active intelligence. He had an ability that carved a unique niche in the gallery of NASCAR greats.

Yarbrough died after a lengthy illness in December 1984. In 1990, he was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.