NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen diagnosed with CTE, first known case in stock car racing

Fred Lorenzen, the man they called Fast Freddy, the Elmhurst Express, the 1965 Daytona 500 champion, has become the first known NASCAR driver to be diagnosed with CTE. For fans who grew up with that grainy black and white footage from the grand national era, no resume spoke louder than Lorenzen's. From 1961 to 1967, he won 26 races, more in that stretch than David Pearson or Richard Petty. He was the first driver in series history to win over $100,000 in prize money in one single season. He was voted NASCAR's most popular driver in 1963 and 1965. He was named one of NASCAR's all-time 50 greatest drivers. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015. Lorenzen died on December 18, 2024. At 89, he had lived with dementia for 20 years. CTE can only be discovered after death. With the support of his children in 2016, he pledged to donate his brain to scientific research. Researchers at the Boston University CTE Center did diagnose Lorenzen's brain with CTE at stage 3, the second most severe of the four stages. In announcing his diagnosis, his children also donated $1 million to the CTE and Concussion Foundation. This would be to establish the Fred Lorenzen Memorial Helpline, a resource for families and drivers dealing with the after effects of a racing life. For more on this story, you can visit charlotteobserver.com.