Fred Lorenzen won 26 Cup Series races, took the 1965 Daytona 500, and entered the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015. After his death in 2024 at age 89, researchers at Boston University studied his brain and confirmed stage 3 CTE, making him the first known NASCAR driver diagnosed with the disease. His family says he lived with dementia for roughly two decades, starting long before his official diagnosis in his 60s.
The Lorenzen family has donated about $1 million to the Concussion and CTE Foundation to fund research and a support helpline. They also contacted NASCAR about participating in those efforts. According to the family, NASCAR declined. For a region where racing culture runs from Daytona to the local short tracks, the question of how motorsports protects its drivers is no longer theoretical.
Lorenzen’s daughter said the family has heard from other drivers, and they believe her father isn’t the only one suffering. Do you think NASCAR should be part of this research effort? Tell us on our social pages.
