Fred Lorenzen

Fred Lorenzen was an outsider in the world of stock car racing. A midwesterner, he came from Elmhurst, Illinois, near Chicago. Most all of the stock car racers were southern born, where the tradition was that boys began to drive when they were 10 or 11 years old. Fred became so successful in NASCAR that he virtually dominated the super speedways of the 1960s era. He wasn't bad on 1/2 mile tracks where he won consistently in 1964. He swept the Atlanta 500 three years in succession from 1962-1964. He also was a dominate winner of prize money, earning $122,000 overall in 1963 and more than $15,000 for his 1964 Atlanta 500 win.