Timmonsville, South Carolina’s Cale Yarborough passed away on Sunday at the age of 84 years old. Yarborough was the first driver in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships, and in 1998 was named one of NASCAR’s 50 greatest drivers.

Yarborough only ran seven full NASCAR Winston Cup Series seasons, but managed to never finish lower than fourth in the points standings in those seasons. Yarborough is best known for winning three straight Winston Cup Series titles from 1976 through 1978, a feat that wasn’t replicated until Jimmie Johnson won a record five straight titles from 2006-2010.

In addition to his three titles, Yarborough also accumulated a massive 83 wins throughout his career, which has him tied with Jimmie Johnson for sixth on the all-time wins list. Yarborough also won the Daytona four times and his home race, the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, a total of five times.

"Cale Yarborough was one of the toughest competitors NASCAR has ever seen," NASCAR chairman and CEO Jim France said in a statement. "His combination of talent, grit and determination separated Cale from his peers, both on the track and in the record book. He was respected and admired by competitors and fans alike and was as comfortable behind the wheel of a tractor as he was behind the wheel of a stock car. On behalf of the France family and NASCAR, I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Cale Yarborough."

In 1983, Yarborough became the first driver to run a lap with an average speed of 200 mph or more during qualifying for the Daytona 500. Yarborough’s first lap clocked in at 200.5 mph. On his second lap, Yarborough flipped and destroyed his race car, causing his first lap to be withdrawn from record. Yarborough qualified for the race in a backup car, which was actually a show car, and still went on to win the race for the third time.

Daytona 1983. Qualifying for the Daytona 500, Cale Yarborough runs 200.5 mph on his first lap, the first to break 200 at Daytona. Then on lap two, Cale said he's going 220 at the end of the backstretch and puts the car on its lid trying to go even faster. Won the race with backup pic.twitter.com/KHH26b4jAR

— nascarman (@nascarman_rr) December 31, 2023

But one could argue that the 1983 Daytona 500 was still not Yarborough’s most famous moment in a Great American Race. Yarborough was one of the three combatants involved in the famous fight in turn three at the conclusion of the 1979 Daytona 500.

Yarborough and Donnie Allison crashed while battling for the win on the final lap of that year’s Daytona 500, the first to be televised nationally from start-to-finish. When their cars came to a rest, Yarborough, Allison, and Bobby Allison all came to blows in turn three while Richard Petty went on to take the victory.

Yarborough also was a car owner in the NASCAR Cup Series from 1987 to 2000. Dale Jarrett, Dick Trickle, Lake Speed, Dorsey Schroeder, Chuck Brown, Randy LaJoie, Chad Little, Bobby Hillin Jr., Jimmy Hensley, Derek Cope, Jeremy Mayfield, Greg Sacks, Rich Bickle, and Rick Mast all ran races for Cale Yarborough Motorsports through the years.

Beyond his successful racing career, Yarborough was also an elected politician for a time. Yarborough was elected to the Florence County Council in 1988 as a Republican and reelected in four years later as a Democrat. Yarborough became the first elected Republican to the Florence County Council since Reconstruction following the Civil War.

In 2012, Yarborough was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, making him one of the first 15 members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.