Special Interview With Fred
Lorenzen by Matt Yocum
NASCAR Hall of Fame Driver
Elmhurst native
trying to get on track for NASCAR Hall of FameBy
Kristy Kennedy,
Special to the Tribune December
20, 2011
Many NASCAR fans likely know the
names of driving legends such as Bobby Allison, Mario
Andretti, Geoff Bodine and Cale Yarborough. But a man
who has seen all of them in action says Elmhurst native
Fred "Fearless Freddie" Lorenzen is on his short list
for the best. Waddell Wilson, who worked as a NASCAR
crew chief and engine builder for nearly 30 years, calls
Lorenzen his hero. "It was an honor to work with that
man," said Wilson, of Charlotte, N.C., who is pushing
for Lorenzen, 76, to earn a spot next year in the NASCAR
Hall of Fame.
Lorenzen, who won the Daytona 500
in 1965 and still lives in the western suburbs, made the
list of 25 finalists in 2011 and 2012. The campaign
received a boost this month when the
Illinois General Assembly (below)
honored Lorenzen for his racing accomplishments over his
career, which ran from 1958 to 1972. Among Lorenzen's
achievements: 26 wins in 158 starts, the only NASCAR
driver to win 20 races in his first 100 starts, the
first driver to win the Atlanta 500 three years in a row
and the first driver to win at Martinsville (Va.)
Speedway four consecutive times.
Lorenzen considers the last lap of
the Darlington Rebel 300 in 1961 as a career highlight.
On the second turn he faked high and drove low to squeak
by the leader on a narrow strip of pavement up against
the wall, according to accounts of the race. "I really
worked the car," Lorenzen said. "I always ran hard and
against the wall. That's how I had my success."
That same year, Bernie Biernacki
was an eighth-grader in Aurora who spotted a story about
a Lorenzen race in the newspaper. "I thought it was neat
that he was from Elmhurst," said Biernacki, who is also
working on the effort to get Lorenzen into NASCAR's Hall
of Fame. "I fell in love with auto racing then, and Fred
was always my favorite."
Off the track, Lorenzen charmed
fans of the predominantly Southern sport, friends say.
"Freddie was the first Northerner I knew that all the
people around here liked," said Charlie "Slick" Owens,
of Charlotte, who was a parts manager. "He strictly
loved to drive. I never saw him take a drink or smoke a
cigarette. He didn't run after pretty girls. He was nice
to everybody."
Crowds of Southern fans often
cheered the loudest for Lorenzen, Wilson said. Lorenzen
got interested in the sport growing up in the Chicago
area, where he listened to the races on the radio. He
also enjoyed working on fast cars. "It gets you closer
to the car," he said. "I did a lot of the work. It would
drive like a rocket ship." He had great regard for his
crew, even giving away the four clocks he won at each of
his Martinsville victories to members of his team, said
his daughter, Amanda Gardstrom.
Lorenzen suffers from dementia and
resides in a nursing home in Bensenville. His children,
who live in Chicago, are grateful memories of his racing
days remain clear. Gardstrom and her brother, Chris,
grew up with NASCAR on television and racing trophies in
the pool table room. Lorenzen became a real estate agent
after his racing days. He instilled in his children his
belief that any dream is possible with devotion and hard
work, Chris Lorenzen said.
Lorenzen's children are learning
more about their father's legacy. They regularly bring
him fan letters — some old and some from among the dozen
or so that still arrive each week. One letter from a
soldier described how he had kept a picture of
Lorenzen's No. 28 car in his helmet to inspire him to be
the best he could be. "From someone who doesn't even
know my dad, that is humbling," Gardstrom said.
Lorenzen is a member of the
National Motorsports Press Association, International
Motorsports and Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
Nominees for the
NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte typically are announced
in July. Lorenzen supporters say he helped
broaden the fan base during NASCAR's early days and was
one of the sport's first super stars." He really was the
first person not to have been raised or live in the
South to penetrate that sport," said Chris Lorenzen.
Wilson, who is on the NASCAR
voting committee, hopes people take a look back when
they vote for the 2013 class. "People don't realize how
tough those drivers were," he said. "If anyone ever
deserved to be in the Hall of Fame, he does. If he was
in his prime, racing today, I'd bet on him any day of
the week. That's how great he was."
February
1-May 19, 2013 On the Road to Glory:
Fred Lorenzen: The story of NASCAR legend and Elmhurst native
Fred Lorenzen comes to life through photos, artifacts, and
exciting race footage depicting a little-known local hero
who etched his name in the annals of racing history. Find
out how this Midwestern outsider, known as “Fearless
Freddie,” got the inside track in the early days of
professional NASCAR racing to become a fan favorite and
winner of the 1965 Daytona 500. See the Fred Lorenzen
tribute car, an exact replica of Lorenzen’s #28 1964 Ford
Galaxie, on opening weekend, Feb. 1-3 from 1-5 p.m. and on
Museum Day (May 19). This exhibit is supported by Chicagoland Speedway.
Speed Lovers - Rare
1968 Racing Film starring Fred Lorenzen Fred Lorenzen
was one of the great NASCAR stars of the '60s — up there with
Richard Petty, David Pearson and Fireball Roberts. Lorenzen was
right at the top of his form as driver of the Holman-Moody #28 Ford
when he surprised everyone by retiring in 1967 at the age of 33. Why
would he do that? Was he going to be a movie star?
Somehow I've missed 1968's The Speed
Lovers starring Lorenzen in the challenging role of "Himself." But I'm also
convinced that, after seeing this ancient trailer, I desperately
need to see it. Except for The Speed Lovers,
Lorenzen has never starred in another
movie, except, of course, starring in actual race films.
FredLorenzen.com
brings
you the history of one of Nascar's Top 50 Drivers of all time. This
unofficial site preserves records, stories memories, & statistics.
Lorenzen recorded 26 wins in his career. He was the first driver in
NASCAR to win over $100,000 in a season, claiming $113,570 driving
for the legendary Holman-Moody team in 1963. He is considered one
of the most capable drivers in NASCAR history. In 1964 Lorenzen won
8 of the 16 races he entered and finished 13th in the points despite
not running in 45 of the 61 events held that year.
FRED LORENZEN
. . . . . . by Steve Samples
It
has often been
said that Bobby Fischer, the chess great, was alone. He was so far
superior to his contemporaries that his only challenger was
himself. Indeed, it is rare that one man in any endeavor is so
gifted. As a race driver Fred Lorenzen was the Bobby Fischer of his
sport.
As a young man, he won the
National Gas Eliminators at the tender age of 18 proving his mettle
on the drag strip. Just a few years later he would try his hand at
another form of racing. Stock car racing. The results would be a
pair of United States Auto Club Championships in 1958 and 1959, and
a venture into NASCAR as a full time driver for Holman-Moody in
1961. It was in NASCAR’s southern stock car circuit, referred to as
the Grand National Division (currently Nextel Cup) that Lorenzen
would establish his Fischer-like credentials. In his first season
as a factory driver, young Fred would outduel veteran Curtis Turner
at Darlington’s famous egg shaped oval to claim victory in the
annual Rebel 300. The win would have been significant had a rookie
simply outdriven the legendary Turner, but Lorenzen went a step
further. He actually created a never before traveled groove on the
high banks of Darlington. In turn two on the final lap, with room
for only one and a half cars to proceed, Fred Lorenzen earned a
nickname that would follow him forever. The nickname was 'Fearless
Freddie'. At 130 miles an hour with the wall fast approaching,
Lorenzen did the impossible. He faked high, drove low, and while
Turner was hopelessly trying to run him into the outer guardrail,
Fred Lorenzen somehow passed on the inside. The maneuver frustrated
Turner so much that he slammed his car into Lorenzen during the
victory lap. It was vintage Turner. It was vintage Lorenzen.
The next six seasons brought an
assault on the record books not seen before or since. During this
time frame Fred Lorenzen would earn other nicknames. 'The Elmhurst
Express', 'The Golden Boy', 'Fastback Freddie'. The list goes on.
In 1963, Lorenzen became the first driver in NASCAR history to win
over $100,000 in a single season. He did so while competing in only
29 of the scheduled 61 events that season. So dominant was number
28 that year that he finished third in the point standings. It
would be one of 4 times he finished in the top 13 in points while
running only half the schedule! A simple entry form and a series of
modest finishes would have brought the Golden Boy four straight
championships. Unfortunately for Lorenzen, he was not hired to win
point championships. He was hired to win big events. Races of 250
miles or more that made headlines in the sports section and sold
cars. And besides, it was generally understood in those days that
top drivers did not enter the low pay races. Most factory drivers
had worked their way to the big time by running dirt tracks and
quarter milers, and few wanted to repeat the process. Especially
for a 45% cut of a $1000 winners check. That’s why the names
Roberts, Lorenzen, Turner, and others do not appear on NASCAR’s
point champions list.
Championships not withstanding,
the record books were other wise re-written by Lorenzen. He became
the first driver in history to win races at all five of the south’s
original super speedways, accomplishing the feat in 1966 with a win
at Rockingham. It took Richard Petty two decades to
accomplish the same feat. Lorenzen did it in six years. At his
initial retirement in 1967 (he would later come out of retirement to
race two and a half years in uncompetitive cars) the Golden Boy had
won an even dozen super speedway events. His closest competitor was
the late Fireball Roberts with 10. Robert's number is often disputed
as records were not as accurately kept in those days. The actual
number may be 9. Richard Petty and David Pearson, despite more
super speedway starts, were still in single digits. In direct
competition between Lorenzen, Petty, and Pearson, from 1961- through
April 1967 (when Lorenzen retired), Lorenzen saw victory circle 26
times. Petty 21. Pearson 8. During that same time frame young
Lorenzen entered 113 major races. In addition to posting 26 wins he
finished in the top ten 65 times, and won 31 pole positions. When
one considers the attrition rate then was far higher than today, the
numbers are amazing. His modern day trophy case displays 600
winners trophies. A combination of drag racing, stock car racing,
modified cars he drove early on, and pole positions at tracks
ranging from tiny Martinsville Speedway to the twisting road course
at Riverside. Aside from compiling staggering win percentages, the
Elmhurst Express became the first driver to win the same 500 mile
race three times in succession, winning the Atlanta 500 from 1962
through 1964. He also set a record in 1964 by winning five
consecutive starts. The record was even more impressive because he
did it while competing against a full complement of factory driver’s
at the major events. Although Richard Petty broke the streak by
winning 10 in 1967, it should be noted he did so while running a
mixture of minor and major tracks. In several of Petty's victories
many factory regulars were not even entered. And the irony of the
Petty record is that he set it after Fred Lorenzen retired. A
common saying in the south that year was, “'Ole Richard wasn’t doing
so good when Fearless Fred was running.” A truer statement was
never spoken.
Aside from dominance on the race
track, Fred Lorenzen was a rare athlete. His charisma was
unparalleled. Always a nice guy who never said no to an autograph,
Lorenzen seemed to have the All-American qualities of universal
appeal. He was a handsome man with blonde hair and a chiseled chin,
and had a legion of female followers that would make Dale Junior
envious. He was also a man’s man. Tough, hard nosed, and never one
to give an inch on the racetrack when the checkered flag was near,
he was respected by his peers. Perhaps his most loyal followers
however, were the thousands of kids who idolized the cool driver of
the number 28 Ford. If time was not an issue, Freddie, as he was
known by everyone, would politely ask kids their name before signing
their programs. Then in his patented signature he would write, Best
of Luck, “John”, Fred Lorenzen “28”.
Renowned NASCAR crew chief Herb
Nab was once engaged in conversation in the Holman-Moody garage
about the “best driver” on the circuit. Pointing to a photo of Fred
Lorenzen on the wall, Nab said, “People say Fireball Roberts is the
best driver. That there is the best driver.”
Confident and perhaps a bit
cocky, Freddie Lorenzen was a package of determination and pure
physical skill on the race track. Prior to races he prepared for
days studying weather charts, tire wear patterns, and gas mileage
projections. Richard Petty once commented, “Fred Lorenzen was total
concentration. Before, during, and after a race.”
And the king himself named
Lorenzen as one of NASCAR’s five greatest drivers, and one of the
ten toughest.
At the end of the day, the
'Illinois Strong Boy', 'The Elmurst Express', 'The Golden Boy',
'Fearless Freddie' Lorenzen, was a man with whom Bobby Fisher could
easily identify. And he didn’t even play chess.
An original news photo from
11/19/65. Race car drivers Fred Lorenzen and Johnny Boyd chat prior
to tire tests on the Indy speedways 2.5 mile over here. This
7" x 9"photo originates from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times,
Chicago Daily News, Detroit Times or Sports Magazine.
Check This Out: Do you know the story of one of Fred's most famous
rides with owner/builder Junior Johnson: "The Yellow Banana"?
Click Here
Lorenzen was
inducted into the Talladega Walk of Fame in October of 2003.
More . . . .
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Why
would he do that? Was he going to be a movie star?
As a young man, he won the
National Gas Eliminators at the tender age of 18 proving his mettle
on the drag strip. Just a few years later he would try his hand at
another form of racing. Stock car racing. The results would be a
pair of United States Auto Club Championships in 1958 and 1959, and
a venture into NASCAR as a full time driver for Holman-Moody in
1961. It was in NASCAR’s southern stock car circuit, referred to as
the Grand National Division (currently Nextel Cup) that Lorenzen
would establish his Fischer-like credentials. In his first season
as a factory driver, young Fred would outduel veteran Curtis Turner
at Darlington’s famous egg shaped oval to claim victory in the
annual Rebel 300. The win would have been significant had a rookie
simply outdriven the legendary Turner, but Lorenzen went a step
further. He actually created a never before traveled groove on the
high banks of Darlington. In turn two on the final lap, with room
for only one and a half cars to proceed, Fred Lorenzen earned a
nickname that would follow him forever. The nickname was 'Fearless
Freddie'. At 130 miles an hour with the wall fast approaching,
Lorenzen did the impossible. He faked high, drove low, and while
Turner was hopelessly trying to run him into the outer guardrail,
Fred Lorenzen somehow passed on the inside. The maneuver frustrated
Turner so much that he slammed his car into Lorenzen during the
victory lap. It was vintage Turner. It was vintage Lorenzen.
The next six seasons brought an
assault on the record books not seen before or since. During this
time frame Fred Lorenzen would earn other nicknames. 'The Elmhurst
Express', 'The Golden Boy', 'Fastback Freddie'. The list goes on.
In 1963, Lorenzen became the first driver in NASCAR history to win
over $100,000 in a single season. He did so while competing in only
29 of the scheduled 61 events that season. So dominant was number
28 that year that he finished third in the point standings. It
would be one of 4 times he finished in the top 13 in points while
running only half the schedule! A simple entry form and a series of
modest finishes would have brought the Golden Boy four straight
championships. Unfortunately for Lorenzen, he was not hired to win
point championships. He was hired to win big events. Races of 250
miles or more that made headlines in the sports section and sold
cars. And besides, it was generally understood in those days that
top drivers did not enter the low pay races. Most factory drivers
had worked their way to the big time by running dirt tracks and
quarter milers, and few wanted to repeat the process. Especially
for a 45% cut of a $1000 winners check. That’s why the names
Roberts, Lorenzen, Turner, and others do not appear on NASCAR’s
point champions list.
Championships not withstanding,
the record books were other wise re-written by Lorenzen. He became
the first driver in history to win races at all five of the south’s
original super speedways, accomplishing the feat in 1966 with a win
at Rockingham. It took Richard Petty two decades to
accomplish the same feat. Lorenzen did it in six years. At his
initial retirement in 1967 (he would later come out of retirement to
race two and a half years in uncompetitive cars) the Golden Boy had
won an even dozen super speedway events. His closest competitor was
the late Fireball Roberts with 10. Robert's number is often disputed
as records were not as accurately kept in those days. The actual
number may be 9. Richard Petty and David Pearson, despite more
super speedway starts, were still in single digits. In direct
competition between Lorenzen, Petty, and Pearson, from 1961- through
April 1967 (when Lorenzen retired), Lorenzen saw victory circle 26
times. Petty 21. Pearson 8. During that same time frame young
Lorenzen entered 113 major races. In addition to posting 26 wins he
finished in the top ten 65 times, and won 31 pole positions. When
one considers the attrition rate then was far higher than today, the
numbers are amazing. His modern day trophy case displays 600
winners trophies. A combination of drag racing, stock car racing,
modified cars he drove early on, and pole positions at tracks
ranging from tiny Martinsville Speedway to the twisting road course
at Riverside. Aside from compiling staggering win percentages, the
Elmhurst Express became the first driver to win the same 500 mile
race three times in succession, winning the Atlanta 500 from 1962
through 1964. He also set a record in 1964 by winning five
consecutive starts. The record was even more impressive because he
did it while competing against a full complement of factory driver’s
at the major events. Although Richard Petty broke the streak by
winning 10 in 1967, it should be noted he did so while running a
mixture of minor and major tracks. In several of Petty's victories
many factory regulars were not even entered. And the irony of the
Petty record is that he set it after Fred Lorenzen retired. A
common saying in the south that year was, “'Ole Richard wasn’t doing
so good when Fearless Fred was running.” A truer statement was
never spoken.
Aside from dominance on the race
track, Fred Lorenzen was a rare athlete. His charisma was
unparalleled. Always a nice guy who never said no to an autograph,
Lorenzen seemed to have the All-American qualities of universal
appeal. He was a handsome man with blonde hair and a chiseled chin,
and had a legion of female followers that would make Dale Junior
envious. He was also a man’s man. Tough, hard nosed, and never one
to give an inch on the racetrack when the checkered flag was near,
he was respected by his peers. Perhaps his most loyal followers
however, were the thousands of kids who idolized the cool driver of
the number 28 Ford. If time was not an issue, Freddie, as he was
known by everyone, would politely ask kids their name before signing
their programs. Then in his patented signature he would write, Best
of Luck, “John”, Fred Lorenzen “28”. 
