Remembering the great Gil de Ferran and the legendary Cale Yarborough

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Speakers: Bruce Martin & Jon Bouslog

Roger Penske:

This is Roger Penske, and you're listening to Pit Pass Indy, sponsored by Penske Truck Rental.

[Music Playing]

Bruce Martin:

IndyCar fans, it's time to start your engines. Welcome to Pit Pass Indy, a production of Evergreen Podcasts. I'm your host, Bruce Martin, a journalist who regularly covers the NTT IndyCar Series.

Our goal at Pit Pass Indy is to give racing fans an insider's view of the exciting world of the NTT IndyCar Series in a fast-paced podcast featuring interviews with the biggest names in the sport.

I bring nearly 40 years of experience covering IndyCar and NASCAR, working for such media brands as nbcsports.com, si.com, ESPN Sports Ticker, Sports Illustrated, Autoweek, and Speed Sport.

So, let's drop the green flag on this episode of Pit Pass Indy.

Welcome to this week's edition of Pit Pass Indy as we begin our fourth season of giving IndyCar fans a behind the scenes look at the NTT IndyCar Series and the drivers that compete in the Indianapolis 500.

As we move into 2024, this episode will focus on two great racers who passed away in the final days of 2023. Two-time CART champion and 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner, Gil de Ferran, died from a massive heart attack on Friday, December 29th, at the age 56.

Two days later in December 31st, one of the true legends of NASCAR's stock car racing Cale Yarborough died. He was 84.

Although Yarborough was a NASCAR legend and a three time NASCAR Cup series champion, and four time Daytona 500 winner, he was also a four time starter in the Indianapolis 500. His 83 NASCAR Cup Series victories are tied for sixth on the all-time list.

We will honor both great men on today's pit pass Indy.

First, we honor one of racing's greatest gentlemen, Gil de Ferran. The 56-year-old de Ferran was victim of a cardiac arrest between 2:00 to 3:00 PM Eastern Time, Friday, December 29th, while driving a car at the Concours Club, a private track located in Opa-locka, Florida, 25 minutes from downtown Miami.

According to his son, Luke, de Ferran stopped at the entrance of the pit area because he was not feeling well. Because there was not a crash, it took safety vehicles some time to get to de Ferran's car.

Ozz Negri, de Ferran's friend and longtime sports car driver was also at the scene. de Ferran was one of the most competitive and classiest drivers of his era.

The Brazilian led a very interesting life. He was born in Paris, France, but moved to Brazil when he was four. As a youth, he was a foreign exchange student in Wisconsin, where his daily chores included milking cows on a dairy farm while in high school.

His racing career began in carting as a teenager. He competed in Europe and won the 1992 English Formula 3 title. By 1995, de Ferran had made it to CART driving for the legendary Jim Hall in the famed yellow Pennzoil car.

In his first attempt at the Indianapolis 500, de Ferran started 19th in the Mercedes Renault, but was one of many cars involved in the horrific Stan Fox crash in turn one at the start of the race. de Ferran was credited with the 29th place finish out of 33 cars.

Most of the CART teams boycotted the Indianapolis 500 over the creation of the rival Indy Racing League in 1996. And that was the last Indy 500 de Ferran competed in until 2001.

de Ferran drove for Jim Hall from 1995 to ‘96 before moving to Walker Racing in 1997. He remained with Walker Racing until team owner, Roger Penske and then newly hired Team Penske president, Tim Cindrich, tabbed de Ferran to help revitalize their struggling race team qt the end of the 1999 season.

de Ferran was set to be teammates with Greg Moore on a powerful two car Team Penske effort beginning in 2000. But Moore was killed in a crash in turn two at California Speedway in the final CART race of the season on October 31st, 1999.

Moore's ride went to Helio Castroneves, a fellow Brazilian. Together, de Ferran and Castroneves were a dynamic duo. de Ferran won the CART championship in 2000 and 2001. Castroneves won the Indianapolis 500 in 2001 and 2002, the first two of his record kind four Indy 500 victories.

In 2002, Team Penske left CART to join the Indy Racing League full time. In 2003, de Ferran drove to victory in the Indianapolis 500, narrowly defeating Castroneves, who was attempting to become the first driver in history to win three straight Indy 500s.

de Ferran had finished second to Castroneves in Indy 2001, the first time in Team Penske history that it had finished one two at the Indianapolis 500.

de Ferran's victory at Nazareth Speedway in 2003 was the 100th IndyCar win for Team Penske. de Ferran retired from IndyCar racing at the end of that season with seven wins in CART and five in the Indy Racing League, for a total of 12 IndyCar wins.

de Ferran joined the BAR Honda Formula One team as sporting director in 2005, remaining in that role until 2007.

Then de Ferran returned to the cockpit in 2008 in a factory backed Acura LMP2 prototype in the American Le Mans Series as the owner driver of his team, De Ferran Motorsport sharing the wheel with future IndyCar Series champion and Indianapolis 500 winner, Simon Pagenaud.

The team climbed to the premier LMP1 prototype class as an Acura factory team in 2009 with five victories and seven poles en route to a runner-up finish in the standings.

de Ferran retired as a driver after the 2009 season, and co-owned De Ferran Dragon Racing in the IndyCar Series through 2011.

During that time, de Ferran also served as a team owner's representative on the iconic committee that evaluated designs for the next generation of IndyCar chassis with his immense technical and managerial acumen adding greatly to the process.

In 2000 at California Speedway, de Ferran set the closed course land speed record during CART qualifying with a lap of 241.428 miles per hour. A mark that stands today.

de Ferran is survived by his wife, Angela, daughter, Anna, and son, Luke. Anna has become a DJ at Formula One races around the world.

For as good as he was on the racetrack, de Ferran was even better out of the race car. He was polite, articulate, and well versed. He made everyone he spoke to feel important and always looked you in the eye when he spoke to you. Behind the wheel of a race car however, de Ferran was as fierce as they came.

To four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Helio Castroneves, de Ferron was more than his teammate for four seasons at Team Penske from 2000 to 2003. Castroneves sent me the following message the day after de Ferran's death.

Quote. “In Motorsport, it's like a big family. We have everything in all kinds of situations,” Castroneves said.

“The drivers in this case are fierce competitors pushing each other to the limit, but in the end, everyone shares this passion for motorsports, and you end up making friends and acquaintances in this environment.”

“In my case, with Gil, I not only became friends on the track, but gained a brother off it as well. I learned a lot from him and his family about finding balance in this profession.”

“It's very difficult to talk about him not being here with us anymore, but my faith tells me that it was his final moment, his last acceleration, his last break, and ultimately, his last lap of his life.”

“And now, the most important thing is for us to embrace each other and enjoy every second of our lives as if it were the last lap.”

Jon Bouslog is special projects manager at Team Penske and was a team member on de Ferran's car at Team Penske when de Ferran was racking up his two CART championships in his 2003 Indianapolis 500 victory.

Bouslog is our guest on this week's Pit Pass Indy as he pays his respects to de Ferran in this exclusive interview.

We continue to remember the life of the great Gil de Ferran. And joining us now is Jon Bouslog, special projects manager at Team Penske.

Jon spent a lot of time working as a member of Gil de Ferran's crew, especially during the glory days of 2000 and 2003, when de Ferran won back-to-back CART championships in 2000 and 2001 and the Indianapolis 500 victory in 2003.

Jon, like a lot of us, I'm sure you were really shocked when you heard the news that Gil de Ferran had passed away at the age of 56. What goes through your mind right now?

Jon Bouslog:

Yeah, obviously a lot of sadness. I mean, he was such a great spark plug for our team, the ultimate professional. And he came into the team at a time where we were coming off some hard years.

And when he and Helio both, he was like the big brother to Helio, but he had his challenges before he got to us. But he was so respectful of everybody on the team, that as well as the guys on track. I mean, he raced everybody with a lot of respect. And I think a lot of people had a lot of respect for him.

We had some quotes in our fitness center at the shop of various people, Roger, Rick Mears, Julius, who was Roger's father, and also de Ferran, who always was very respectful of those that came before him, and he loved to tell everybody how proud he was to put his suit on every day and drive for Roger.

So, that really helped everybody get behind him. And he always had the utmost respect for the team and everybody within it.

Bruce Martin:

He also had the utmost respect for just people he came in contact with. He was probably the most polite individual in the sport that I've ever met. He had a lot of respect for everybody, very erudite, very articulate.

Those were qualities that maybe we weren't used to seeing in IndyCar or in auto racing in general. What made him so unique?

Jon Bouslog:

Well, he was very respectful to everybody. It didn't matter who you were. He'd come in in the morning and shake everybody's hand whether you were new or there 30 years. He treated everybody that way.

And he could have fun too. He had a great sense of humor. When he and Helio would get together, all the stories between those two messing around in the trucks with each other. But when it came time to put the helmet on, he was all business. And he delivered all the time.

Bruce Martin:

He didn't start off with Team Penske, he started off with Jim Hall in 1995. That was a year where Team Penske did not make the field for the Indianapolis 500, and probably one of the most shocking storylines in Indy 500 history.

But what do you remember about the rookie Gil de Ferran during that ‘95 CART season when he was driving Jim Hall's Pennzoil sponsored yellow IndyCar that some had always referred to as the yellow submarine?

Jon Bouslog:

Yeah, well, he was one of the ones … we were in the tire war at that time, and I think what caught everybody's attention is just how he probably had every excuse to give up, but he never did. He was always trying.

You could just tell that he was in it. He had something to prove and that was his character. He wouldn't give up, and he wanted to give the best to Hall/VDS, which he did.

And then when he came to us in 2000, he let it unload on everybody. He had a lot of pent up success that he felt he could help. So, yeah, that translated into two back-back championships.

Bruce Martin:

Between the time he was with Jim Hall and the time he joined Team Penske at the end of the 1999 season, he spent a couple of years with Derrick Walker at Walker Racing, and I know that was another situation where he may not have had the best equipment, but he was always out there fighting.

And what do you recall about Gil during those years? Because at Hall/VDS and with Derrick Walker, he won three races over five seasons before he ever arrived at Team Penske.

Jon Bouslog:

Yeah. And I think that's what speaks loudly there, is that he won those races in, I won't say bad equipment, but he was new to it. And you could just tell that he had.

And Roger spotted it a mile away better than any of us, that there was something about him, how he carried himself outside the car, how he raced people on track. I think that really gained him so much respect and friends throughout the series.

Bruce Martin:

From ‘97 until ’99 are probably three of the most down years in Team Penske's glorious history. It became apparent to team owner, Roger Penske, that they needed to rejuvenate the operation, bring him back in the prominence.

He hired Tim Cindrich to be the president of Team Penske, and then you guys zeroed in and hired Gil de Ferran and also Greg Moore to be the drivers beginning in 2000. Those were key pieces that were put together in order to bring Team Penske back to the glory days that it enjoys today.

Jon Bouslog:

Roger's always looking ahead. Roger was not happy where we were and would do what he needed to, to get us back on track. And the combination of Tim Cindrich and the package, the Renault, the Honda, and then with Penske cars being able to help develop the car, that was key to the whole thing. It all just started to fall into place.

Bruce Martin:

But we never got a real chance to see what that combination would've been able to accomplish. Because on October 31st, 1999, Greg Moore, who was going to join your team in 2000, was killed in turn two at California Speedway in the final race of the season that year.

Within hours, the team had hired Helio Castroneves, and then it really seemed like the combination of Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves is what really sent Team Penske back on its way.

What was it like, the dynamic between those two, when you guys discovered we have something really special here?

Jon Bouslog:

Well, they fed off of each other so much, and I think they would support each other. Like it was amazing, really. And you know Helio, all you got to do is say Helio, and everybody pretty much knows how he is.

And with Gil, they had a lot of fun together, and it really bled over into the team. And once we started to see their personalities unfold and the way they got together and got along, it just made for a really good refreshing sort of restart, you might say. A lot of fun to be a part of.

Bruce Martin:

They were both Brazilian, but in a lot of ways, they couldn't have been more dissimilar in the way that they came up. Gil was born in Paris. He spent time in Wisconsin as a foreign exchange student when he was a teenager. Very well versed, very well spoken.

Helio was a little bit different. Helio basically had to scrap for a lot of his early days in carting. Didn't master the English language that well, but he always had that flare for the dramatic, the flare for finding the spotlight, whereas Gil pretty much just let his racing do his talking for him.

How dissimilar were they in their personalities, but yet those two personalities, as you said, really fed off each other?

Jon Bouslog:

Yeah, I mean, Gil was more engineering minded. Really, he approached it very methodical, the days, and it probably drove his engineers crazy at some time.

And Helio was equally talented, but he was just so happy to be … Helio loves life, and he didn't care. I mean, it's hard to explain because they were very similar in terms of competition.

But Gil, I think he was more of a professor and I think he approached it more from an analytical standpoint. Helio, he would let his natural talent takeover. It's hard to say, really. I mean, they were a lot of fun to be around. That's all I can say.

Bruce Martin:

So, in 2000 and 2001, Gil won back-to-back CART championships. And if you look at the statistics of both seasons, those were 20 race seasons, both years. Two victories each season. Seven podiums, five poles in 2000. The next year, two victories, eight podiums, four poles in 2001.

It was a real accomplishment to win one CART championship back then, but he did it back-to-back. So, how big of a deal was that for him to be a back-to-back cart champion back then?

Jon Bouslog:

Well, again, after the previous few years leading up to that, it was obviously very rewarding. He had a great team of people behind him, obviously, his chief, Matt Johnson and his engineer, Tom German, Chris Gantner. These guys just clicked very well.

And I think Gil was a patient guy when it came to racing. So, I think he was getting the most out of it. I think he probably learned a lot in the earlier days for him. Yeah, I just think that helped him. I think his methodology or whatever you want to say, really helped him with those championships.

Bruce Martin:

We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

Josef Newgarden:

Hey everybody, this is Josef Newgarden, winner of the 107th Indianapolis 500, and you're listening to Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Bruce Martin:

Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. Here's the rest of my exclusive interview with Jon Bouslog of Team Penske, as we remember 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner and back-to-back CART champion, Gil de Ferran on Pit Pass Indy.

So, Team Penske failed to bank the field at the Indy 500 1995, 1 year after they dominated the race with the Mercedes-Benz 209 pushrod engine with Al Unser Jr. winning the race in 1994.

Then there was the split where Team Penske was away from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Indy 500, but in 2001, the team returned with Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves. And I know that you were in charge of that project to get back to the Indy 500.

And what were those days like, and how much of a sense of adventure was there in returning to the Indianapolis 500 after being gone for as long as the team was?

Jon Bouslog:

Well, we had a lot unfinished business. We felt like we know how near and dear Indianapolis is to Roger, so we were going to do everything we could to try and get back to the victory there. Very satisfying for me personally being where I was at that time.

But yeah, Helio, and that had … the CART teams were basically doing the 500 R teams with Rick Rinaman was the chief on Helio's car and Matt Johnson on de Ferran's car, and their pit crews were outstanding.

So, we really needed to just make sure we were reliable and execute the day. Strategies were good between Roger and Tim, and it worked out three years in a row.

So, to come back and win three years in a row after what happened in ‘95, I think everybody's going to remember that as long as they live.

Bruce Martin:

But one thing that doesn't get pointed out enough is Team Penske already had a spectacular history in the Indianapolis 500 up to 2001, but with Helio Castroneves winning the race that year, and Gil de Ferran finishing second, it was the first time in Team Penske history that the team had swept the top two positions in the Indianapolis 500.

And when you look back at that type of accomplishment, and it was really took that long for the team to be able to get a one two finish, that's not something that really happens at all at the Indianapolis 500.

Jon Bouslog:

No. And that's the beauty of it, is it gives and it takes and it can be very brutal and it can be very rewarding. So, yeah, that's just it.

Fortunately for us, we were able to go back and sort of continue the success of the team, and now, we're sitting at 19 500 wins, which is huge. And we never approach it day to day that it's going to come easy because it's very hard to win that race.

Bruce Martin:

In 2001, the team won the Indianapolis 500, but returned to the CART series after that race. But in 2002, the decision was made the leave CART and join the Indy Racing League as it was known at that time, full-time.

And you were really taking two road course and street course drivers in Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves and bringing them to an all oval series at that time. How big a challenge was that?

Jon Bouslog:

Well, I think all oval series for them, I mean, I'm sure they missed their road courses. That's how they grew up, the road course racing. And I know they missed it. But it was what we were doing. And I think they adapted to it very well. They had a lot of wins within those years.

Bruce Martin:

You were very familiar with the guys you were racing against in CART, but in the Indy Racing League, there was some people you probably knew coming up through the ranks, but there was a lot of unfamiliarity with some of the teams, some of the drivers.

So, that had to be a little bit of a challenge. And also, let's be fair, Team Penske comes over to the Indy Racing League, you guys had targets on your back the whole season.

Jon Bouslog:

Yeah. I mean, sure, people I'm sure wanted to win just like we did. And at the time, Sam Hornish, he was the guy. He was the guy that was the star, I guess you might say.

Bruce Martin:

Gil and Helio really met the challenge, and there was, I remember two really great points championships, three actually, that both of your drivers were involved in, and in a lot of ways they adapted to that series quite quickly.

That was really a key step toward bringing both sides back together eventually. Drivers like Gil de Ferran really helped bring IndyCar back together, even though it was five years later before there was unification.

Jon Bouslog:

Yeah, I mean, the whole oval series thing, I mean, it wasn't new to them. Because we had ovals, CART had ovals, different super speedways and short ovals and stuff.

So, it was probably more getting used to the new car, the different car than the actual oval racing itself. And the packs, a lot of pack racing, that kind of thing. So, I'm sure there were some challenges.

Bruce Martin:

In 2002 at the Indianapolis 500, Gil is being set up to basically be in a position to win the Indianapolis 500. He had already led 13 laps in the race. It's getting into go time, the last 20 laps or so of the race, last pit stop, he comes in, Gil leaves, a wheel comes off, an uncharacteristic mistake.

But how big a disappointment was that? Because I'm sure that a lot of people look back at that race and think that that was Gil de Ferran's victory that he could have won in 2002.

Jon Bouslog:

Yeah, obviously, very disappointing, surely for everybody. And that's what's so great about Gil is that that happened, he could've been the Indy 500, maybe something else would've happened that day later on.

But he wasn't the kind of guy that was going to come back and start getting down on people if it was a mistake or whatever. He wasn't that guy. That's what he was all about is pretty much staying positive. And he was never that guy, which was always a pleasure to be around.

Bruce Martin:

So, Joe finished his third in the championship in 2002 when you guys were full-time in the Indy Racing League. He finishes third in the championship. Helio Castroneves wins the Indy 500 back-to-back years, 2001, 2002.

Finally at the 2003 Indianapolis 500, it's Gil de Ferran who wins the race defeating Helio Castroneves for another one two team Penske finish. And I really remember how special that victory really hit him because he was very emotional afterwards.

You were the rear tire changer on his car that day. And how dramatic of a victory was that, and how special was it to see Gil de Ferran get this crowning achievement of his racing and career?

Jon Bouslog:

Yeah, I mean, anytime you can be involved in an Indy win is hugely special. And when you see that emotion out of those guys, it's their career coming out in their reaction. They've done what they've set out to do in their career.

He was a twice champion and then an Indy 500 winner. Everybody wants to do it and he was able to do it. And that emotion just … it's like Will's reaction in 2018. I don't even think they can help themselves. It just comes out.

Bruce Martin:

At the end of the 2003 Indy Racing League championship, Gil finishes second in the championship race to young Scott Dixon, the first of his current six NTT IndyCar Series championships.

But there was some big news just a few days after the season ended when Gil announced that he was retiring from IndyCar. The team went out and hired Sam Hornish Jr. And even though Gil wasn't part of the actual racers on the racetrack, he remained a very strong presence at Team Penske.

How shocked were you in some ways that he left after really such a brief career as a race driver in IndyCar?

Jon Bouslog:

His decision to do that was his own. He obviously thought about it a long time, I'm sure, with his family and he accomplished what he wanted to accomplish to that point. He went on to do other things. He was part of helping us as well.

So, yeah, it is shocking, but it wasn't really a surprise, I guess, just because he had a great family, Angela and the kids. So, he probably wanted to just … it was his time. And he always said that he'd do it when he was ready and he did, so.

Bruce Martin:

It was his time. But he also, he remained in racing. He was in ALMS for a while. You two probably worked together a little bit on the Luczo Dragon Racing team that participated in the 2007 Indianapolis 500, which he was part of that program along with Jay Penske.

And the fact that he remained in racing he was part of the BAR Honda Formula One effort for a while. He eventually was a key member at Honda Performance Development, and then he also was part of McLaren in 2019.

It seemed like Gil was able to take his engineering expertise to many different areas after his racing career was over. And how impressed were you by the fact that he was able to be so multifaceted in auto racing?

Jon Bouslog:

Well, yeah, he was an impressive guy and he was always approachable. It didn't matter what position you held at the team.

I know I've had conversations with him about my past throughout my career. And he's helped me see things and helped me, guide me, mentor me. He was always there for everybody. And he never stopped contributing.

Now, did he want to stop racing? His reasons for stopping, and then he got into ownership. And he hit some team ownership with Acura and that kind of thing, right?

Bruce Martin:

Yes.

Jon Bouslog:

And so, yeah, I mean, he probably had a list of things that he wanted to do in his career, and he did it. He accomplished a lot.

Bruce Martin:

And the fact that he was a two-time champion as a race driver, you'd have to multiply that probably by a hundred in the terms of what he was like as a human being.

And as we've mentioned earlier, it's hard to find a more likable, more admirable character in an individual than what we found in Gil de Ferran.

Jon Bouslog:

Yeah, for sure. And back to the last race, the Texas race of 2003, he didn't finish second in the championship, but he won that race and that was a final race for him in IndyCar.

But you remember there was a horrific crash at Kenny Brack and it was like 14 to go or something. And the kind of guy he was, he was really just wanting to know if Kenny was okay. And the whole time the laps were winding down, he's wanting to know how Kenny is.

And even in victory lane, the body language of him, it wasn't about the victory. We were pushing the car to victory lane, and he was just having a moment, but he was really concerned about Kenny.

And that's how he was. He respected everybody on and off the track. So, that just said a lot to me.

Bruce Martin:

And also, he was very proud of his family, his wife, Angela, and his children. They were always seemed to be together. You'd see them every year at the Indianapolis 500 and other races throughout the season.

And it's really got to be tough on them. And I'm sure that everybody that's been part of the Team Penske family remains just that, part of the family.

Jon Bouslog:

Yeah. Angela was equally supportive with the team coming around all the time. And just a huge part of us as well. When they were together at the track, she was always kind to everybody and we love her dearly for that.

And the kids, obviously, the kids were around too, and we watch them grow up and they're doing their things now. And just our hearts go out to him, really. And they had a great and have a great dad. He's an amazing guy and we're going to miss him a ton.

Bruce Martin:

Well, I couldn't think of a better way to end the interview than with that. He touched a lot of people's lives, and it's unfortunate that this is the topic of today's interview, but we felt that it was very important that the people remember Gil de Ferran as the champion, as a man, that he really was.

Jon Bouslog, special projects manager at Team Penske, from all of us at Pit Pass Indy, our condolences on the loss of Gil de Ferran, and thank you for joining us today to remember a great driver and an even greater man.

Jon Bouslog:

Thank you, Bruce.

Bruce Martin:

We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

Will Power:

This is Will Power of Team Penske, and you are listening to Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

Bruce Martin:

Welcome back to this edition of Pit Pass Indy.

Cale Yarborough was the epitome of what a stock car racer was all about. There may not have been a tougher man in the history of NASCAR than Yarborough, the man from Sardis, South Carolina.

He was the oldest of three sons of Julian Yarborough, a tobacco farmer, and his wife, Annie.

Although he was short and height, pound for pound, an inch for inch, he was a giant behind the wheel of a stock car. Yarborough could manhandle a race car around some of the most difficult tracks on the schedule, seemingly able to carry the car on his shoulders to victory.

Yarborough was a high school football star in Timmonsville, South Carolina, and was offered a scholarship to play college football at Clemson University by head coach, Frank Howard, but he turned it down.

Instead, Yarborough played four seasons of semi-pro football in Columbia, South Carolina, and was a Golden Gloves Boxer.

Yarborough made his NASCAR debut in the 1957 Southern 500 in nearby Darlington, South Carolina. He didn't have a full-time ride until 1965 when he competed in 46 of the 55 races on the schedule that year, picking up his first career win at Valdosta Speedway in Georgia.

By 1967, Yarborough had earned himself the prestigious No. 21 Ford ride for the Wood Brothers. He drove to victory in Atlanta in the July 4th race at Daytona that year.

In 1968, Yarborough won the pole for the Daytona 500. He led 76 laps for the first of his four Daytona 500 wins. He also won the Daytona 500 in 1977 for team owner, Junior Johnson, 1983 and 1984 for team owner, Harry Ranier.

Yarborough had nine wins at Daytona International Speedway. He also won the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway five times. He was the first driver to win three straight NASCAR Cup series championships from 1976 to ‘78, driving the Holly Farms Chicken Chevrolet for Junior Johnson.

But Yarborough was more than one of NASCAR's greatest drivers. Yarborough made his first Indianapolis 500 start in 1966, driving for Rolla Vollstedt.

Yarborough was caught off guard by the throngs who attended qualifying days in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and got stuck in traffic en route to the track for the first qualification day.

He ended up parking his car in the yard of a local resident and walking to the track, qualifying 24th in the No. 66 Jim Robbins Vollstedt-Ford. But his four-lap qualification run that year lasted longer than his race.

Yarborough's car was one of 11 collected and eliminated in a first lap accident that triggered a red flag delay of nearly 90 minutes, and he was credited with a 28th place finish.

Yarborough returned with Vollstedt’s team in 1967 and finished 17th, completing 176 laps. He made his final two Indianapolis 500 starts in 1971 and 1972 with Gene White's team completing a 193 laps and finishing 10th in 1972.

Both career best and a colorful team that also boasted fellow kindred jovial spirits, Lloyd Ruby and Sam Sessions.

In 1971, Yarborough raced the entire USAC championship trail with White's team. He produced a best finish of 6th at Trenton and Michigan and ended up 16th in the standings in his only full open wheel season.

Yarborough retired as a driver after the 1988 NASCAR Cup series season, and then focused on team ownership and other businesses.

His Cale Yarborough Motorsports team raced in the Cup Series through the 1999 season with John Andretti delivering the team its sole victory in the 1997 Pepsi 400 at Daytona.

Yarborough became a highly successful businessman in the Florence, South Carolina area, owning several 60-minute dry cleaning stores, Hardee's franchises, and an automobile dealership, Cale Yarborough Honda.

One of the most recognized drivers of his era, Yarborough even appeared in a starring role on The Dukes of Hazzard on CBS.

We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

Scott McLaughlin:

Hi, I'm Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Chevy, and you're listening to Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental.

[Music Playing]

Bruce Martin:

And that puts a checkered flag on this edition of Pit Pass Indy.

We want to thank our guest, Team Penske special projects manager, Jon Bouslog, for helping us remember the great Gil de Ferran on today's podcast.

Along with loyal listeners like you, our guests help make Pit Pass Indy your path to victory lane in IndyCar.

And because of our guest and listeners, Pit Pass Indy is proud to be the winner of The Best Podcast by the National Motorsports Press Association.

For more IndyCar coverage, follow me at Twitter @BruceMartin (one-word, uppercase B, uppercase M) _500.

This has been a production of Evergreen Podcasts. A special thanks to our production team. Executive producers are Brigid Coyne and Gerardo Orlando. Recordings and edits were done by me, Bruce Martin and final mixing was done by Dave Douglas. Learn more at evergreenpodcasts.com.

Until next time, be sure to keep it out of the wall.