| Call him the "Golden Boy". Call him "Fearless Freddie". | | | | outer guardrail, Lorenzen raced past Turner using the |
| Most lists of NASCAR's all time greats call him the | | | | inside groove. In a move that would have garnished |
| best or, at the very least, one of the best stock car | | | | Turner 25 driver and owner points plus a hefty fine if |
| drivers ever. | | | | it had occurred in the NASCAR of today, he slammed |
| Yes, we rank Fred Lorenzen as the all time best | | | | his car into Lorenzen's during the victory lap. This was |
| driver even though he only competed in the NASCAR | | | | also the move that earned Lorenzen the reputation |
| ranks for 12 partial seasons and in five of those | | | | as a "thinking driver" as opposed to one who ran flat |
| seasons he drove a less than competitive car. But, it's | | | | out the entire race. He regularly kept up with |
| what he did between 1961 and 1967 that makes him | | | | weather forecast as well as track temperatures; gas |
| number one in our list. | | | | mileage and tire wear patterns, trying to gain even |
| Even, "King" Richard Petty acknowledges Lorenzen as | | | | the slightest advantage. |
| one of the top five drivers of all time. And why | | | | When Lorenzen surprised everyone by retiring early |
| shouldn't he? During the time Lorenzen competed | | | | in the 1967 season, many observers thought he was |
| against Petty and David Pearson, another driver that | | | | retiring to pursue a movie career. Although he did |
| consistently lands near the top of every best driver | | | | make one film, he came back to run a partial |
| list, from 1961 until the end of April 1967 (when | | | | schedule in 1970-71-72. Although he finished in the top |
| Lorenzen retired), Lorenzen won 26 times. Petty only | | | | five in seven of the 14 races he entered in 1971, the |
| won 21 times and Pearson only won 8 times. During | | | | cars were not up to Lorenzen's standards so he hung |
| the time when he was racing a competitive race car, | | | | up his driving shoes for good after driving just four |
| Lorenzen entered 113 major races. In addition to | | | | races in 1972. |
| posting 26 wins he finished in the top ten an amazing | | | | His 600 winner's trophies come from drag racing, |
| 65 times (59 top-fives). He also won 31 pole positions. | | | | stock car racing and late model stock cars as well as |
| Considering that the attrition rate during Lorenzen's | | | | modifieds. He also won two USAC Stock Car |
| heyday was much higher than today, his win and top | | | | championships before heading south to the NASCAR |
| ten numbers are truly, to use a NASCAR word, | | | | Grand National (now Sprint Cup) circuit. In addition to |
| "awesome". | | | | having a great winning/finishing percentage, Lorenzen |
| Lorenzen earned his nickname, "Fearless Freddie" in | | | | became the first driver in NASCAR to win the same |
| his first ever NASCAR win driving for Holman-Moody. | | | | 500-mile race three times in succession, winning the |
| In his first season as a factory driver Lorenzen | | | | Atlanta 500 from 1962 through 1964. He also set a |
| out-dueled veteran Curtis Turner to claim victory in | | | | record in 1964 by winning five consecutive starts. |
| the Rebel 300 at Darlington. The win against Turner | | | | Lorenzen was also the first driver in the history of |
| was significant, but the manner in which he won was | | | | NASCAR to win over $100,000 in a season. And he |
| spectacular. The fearless young driver found a never | | | | did it competing in only 29 of 55 races in the 1963 |
| before traveled groove on the high banks of | | | | season. |
| Darlington and may have been among the first to | | | | Veterans of the NASCAR circuit conservatively |
| earn his "Darlington Stripe". In turn two on the final | | | | estimate that Lorenzen could have had four |
| lap, with room for only one and a half cars to claim | | | | championships if he had raced in all of the events as |
| real estate, Lorenzen earned his nickname "Fearless | | | | opposed to only "major" races. But, like many drivers |
| Freddie". Driving his car at over 130 mph, Lorenzen | | | | of his era, he was paid to compete in only the big |
| did the impossible. He faked high, drove low, and | | | | races. |
| while Turner was hopelessly trying to run him into the | | | | |