LeeRoy Yarbrough facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lonnie "LeeRoy" Yarbrough
Lonnie "LeeRoy" Yarbrough's official publicity photo (1969)
Born	(1938-09-17)September 17, 1938 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Died	December 7, 1984(1984-12-07) (aged 46) Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Achievements	1969 Daytona 500 Winner 1969 Southern 500 Winner 1969 World 600 Winner First driver to win NASCAR's "Triple Crown" (1969)
Awards	Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023)
NASCAR Cup Series career
198 races run over 12 years
Best finish	15th (1964)
First race	1960 Atlanta 500 (Atlanta)
Last race	1972 Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville)
First win	1964 Savannah 200 (Savannah)
Last win	1970 National 500 (Charlotte)
Wins Top tens Poles 14 92 10
NASCAR Grand National East Series career
1 race run over 1 year
First race	1972 Greenville 200 (Greenville)
Last race	1972 Greenville 200 (Greenville)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 1 0
Statistics current as of December 18, 2012.

Lonnie "LeeRoy" Yarbrough (born September 17, 1938 – died December 7, 1984) was an American stock car driver. He is best known for his amazing 1969 season. That year, he won seven races and finished in the top ten 21 times. He earned a lot of money, about $193,211, which would be much more today!

Throughout his career from 1960 to 1972, LeeRoy raced in 198 events. He won 14 races, finished in the top five 65 times, and earned 10 pole positions (meaning he started first). LeeRoy also competed in open-wheel races, including three Indianapolis 500s. His racing number was 98. When asked about racing, LeeRoy said it was "what I call my life."

LeeRoy passed away in 1984 after a fall. In 1990, he was honored by being added to the National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame. It is important to know that LeeRoy Yarbrough is not related to another famous NASCAR champion, Cale Yarborough.

LeeRoy Yarbrough's Racing Career

Starting Out in Stock Cars

LeeRoy Yarbrough grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. He loved speed from a young age. When he was just 16, he built his first race car. It was a 1934 Ford coupe with a powerful Chrysler engine.

At 19, LeeRoy found a local dirt track called Jacksonville Speedway. He won his very first race there in 1957. He became known for his exciting racing style. He would often carry extra speed into turns, diving under other cars. Then he would slide through the turn, driving very close to the wall. This daring style helped him win many races, especially on the last lap.

LeeRoy started his NASCAR career in the lower-level Sportsman division. After winning 11 races, he moved up to the more powerful Modified cars. He won an impressive 83 races in just three years in that division!

First Big Wins

In 1964, LeeRoy started racing more often in the main NASCAR Grand National series. He won two short-track races that year. Two years later, he got his first win on a "superspeedway" at Charlotte. He drove a Dodge Charger that didn't have a sponsor and wasn't expected to win. But LeeRoy led for most of the 500-mile race, showing everyone his talent.

After this big win, he started getting offers to drive for bigger, factory-supported teams. In 1968, he joined Junior Johnson's Ford team. After a slow start, LeeRoy bounced back and won races in Atlanta and Trenton.

The Amazing 1969 Season

The year 1969 was LeeRoy Yarbrough's best. He became a true racing star.

• Daytona 500 Victory: In the 1969 Daytona 500, LeeRoy was far behind with only ten laps left. On the very last lap, he made an incredible move. He passed a slower car and then quickly took the lead from Charlie Glotzbach, winning the race by a car length!
• More Big Wins: After Daytona, he won the Rebel 400 at Darlington in the final four laps. Then he won the World 600 at Charlotte, beating the entire field by at least two laps.
• Daytona Sweep: He also won the summer 400-mile race at Daytona. This made him only the third driver in NASCAR history to win both Daytona races in the same year!
• Overcoming Challenges: LeeRoy won the summer race at Atlanta even though he had a high fever of 102 degrees. He also won the Southern 500 by passing David Pearson on the last lap. At Rockingham in October, he won after getting a flat tire and hitting the wall. He managed to make up a full lap and still win!

By the end of 1969, LeeRoy had seven wins and was named "American Driver of The Year."

Later Racing Years

After his incredible 1969 season, LeeRoy's racing career slowed down. Many car factories stopped supporting race teams, making it hard for drivers like LeeRoy to find good cars to race.

He won one more race in 1970 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In 1971, he only entered six races. In 1972, he joined Bill Seifert's team and had nine top-ten finishes in 18 races. LeeRoy tried to qualify for the 1973 Daytona 500 but didn't make the race. After that, he stopped appearing at NASCAR events.

LeeRoy's Life After Racing

Health Challenges

On April 22, 1970, LeeRoy had a serious crash while testing tires for Goodyear at Texas World Speedway. His tire blew, and his car hit the wall at over 160 mph. LeeRoy's head hit a roll bar, cracking his helmet. He was released from the hospital that night, and at first, doctors didn't think his head injury was serious. However, he later had no memory of the crash or being in the hospital.

LeeRoy also competed in three Indianapolis 500 races. In 1971, during practice for the Indy 500, he crashed again in turn one and suffered more head injuries. For several months after this, LeeRoy was in and out of the hospital with various health issues and memory problems. It is believed that these crashes caused brain trauma.

In 1977, a court decided that LeeRoy needed help managing his affairs due to his health. He then moved in with his mother.

His Passing

On December 6, 1984, while in the hospital, LeeRoy Yarbrough had a severe seizure. He fell and hit his head, losing consciousness. He was taken to Jacksonville's University Hospital, where he passed away the next morning, December 7, 1984.

Daytona 500 Results

LeeRoy Yarbrough competed in several Daytona 500 races. Here are his results: