The NASCAR community is still mourning the death of Cale Yarborough.
The Hall of Famer died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 84.
10 News’ Alyssa Rae had the opportunity to speak with a former driver from Southwest Virginia about the impact he left on the sport.
With 83 wins and 3 consecutive Winston Cup Championships, there’s no doubt Cale Yarborough left his mark on NASCAR.
He also made an impression on others on and off the track.
“When I came into the sport, I wasn’t able to run against Cale because he had quit the year before. There may have been a couple races or something we ran together, but everybody that garage area talked about the toughest driver in that sport was Cale Yarborough.”
Rockbridge County native Rick Mast is a former NASCAR driver who joined the #98 Cale Yarborough-owned team in 1999.
It was the only team to finish every race that year
“That’s when I really met Cale as an owner, and he came to me and we sat down and had a long conversation. And I’m like, ‘This is cool, this is really cool, I’m going to drive for Cale Yarborough,’” Mast said.
Mid-season, the team got a sponsorship from Universal Studios.
One of Masts’ favorite memories is when Yarborough took their families to the theme park.
“Me, Cale, Sharon, Betty Jo, all the kids, we spent the day at the studios and all that dude wanted to do was hop on the fastest rollercoaster there,” Mast said.
A testament to his tenaciousness and grit – that will forever be remembered in racing history.
Yarborough was also a four-time Daytona 500 winner and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.
Mast said his name will always be among NASCAR’s greats.