Sports
Elmhurst Native and York High Graduate Nominated for NASCAR Hall of Fame
Fred Lorenzen will be honored at Chicagoland Speedway Dec. 7.
Elmhurst native and 1965 Daytona 500 winner Fred Lorenzen has been nominated for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2013.
Lorenzen, a NASCAR driver between 1958 and 1972, attended in the 1950s.
According to his web site, Lorenzen recorded 26 wins in his career and was the first driver in NASCAR to win more than $100,000 in a season. Statistics from his racing career can be found here.
Lorenzen was nicknamed "The Golden Boy," "Fast Freddie" and "The Elmhurst Express," according to his Facebook page. He built his first car at age 13 and began racing right after he graduated from York. His first race was at Langhorne Speedway in 1956, where he finished 26th.
He drove a white and blue Ford for Holman and Moody from 1961 to 1967. He retired from NASCAR racing in 1967.
Lorenzen will be honored for his racing career by the Illinois General Assembly at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7, at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet. He will be joined by Illinois State Rep. Dennis Reboletti (R-46th, Elmhurst), Scott Paddock, president of Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway, and his son and daughter.
Lorenzen also was nominated for the Illinois Stock Car Hall of Fame Class of 2012, according to IllinoisVintageRacing.com.
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