DARLINGTON, S.C. – Ahead of the 75th annual Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, former NASCAR championship-winning crew chief Jeff Hammond and members of the Cale Yarborough family gathered at the Darlington Raceway Stock Car Museum this afternoon to honor the late NASCAR Hall of Famer and unveil his Southern 500 winning 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass No. 11 that Yarborough drove to victory in 1978.

The historic car will be on display in the museum leading up to the Labor Day Race Weekend, where it will then be showcased in the Darlington Raceway Fan Zone. Then on Sunday, NASCAR Hall of Famer and former Cale Yarborough Motorsports driver Dale Jarrett will take the car around the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval in a ceremonial lap just prior to the command to start engines.

“As we mark the 75^th running of the Cook Out Southern 500, it is crucial that we commemorate one of NASCAR and South Carolina’s greatest heroes in Cale Yarborough,” said Darlington Raceway President Josh Harris. “It was an honor to have Jeff Hammond and members of the Yarborough family here today to celebrate Cale’s legacy and unveil his 1978 Southern 500 winning Oldsmobile Cutlass to be on display throughout the race weekend.”

A Timmonsville, S.C., native, Yarborough garnered 83 career wins (sixth all-time) including five Cook Out Southern 500 victories (1968, 73, 84, 78, and 82) and three consecutive NASCAR Cup Series championships from 1976-78. Throughout his driving career, Yarborough competed in 49 races at his home track of Darlington Raceway, with his first in September of 1957 and his final September of 1987. He garnered five wins, 11 top-fives, and 17 top-10 during that span.

The historic No. 11 Oldsmobile Cutlass was originally built by Banjo Matthews in 1977 for team owner Junior Johnson before being driven by Cale Yarborough to his third consecutive Winston Cup Series championship in 1978 (and also the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway that season).

The car is currently owned by Oklahoma native David Neidell, who purchased the car from Cale and Betty Jo Yarborough in 2012 and refurbished it to race in various vintage sports car exhibitions, including a win in the Enduro at the SRVA Championships in 2013. The Oldsmobile Cutlass has since been stored in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, over the last year but will continue to spend time in the Darlington Raceway Stock Car Museum after the Cook Out Southern 500 weekend.

Hammond, who served on Yarborough’s pit crew from 1976-80, played an integral role as a tire changer and jackman during the 1978 season. To say this car holds a special place in his heart is an understatement.

“Darlington is called the track Too Tough To Tame…Well, let me tell you, Cale was Too Tough To Give Up,” said Hammond. “Cale never had any quit in him. He was so tough and determined. He would get up on the wheel and would just keep sawing…Cale hated to lose. That was the same thought process of the people like myself and many others on the race team had.”

Hammond experienced a great amount of success in his career at the Lady in Black. He visited victory lane three times at Darlington Raceway, as a pit crewman/jackman with Yarborough in 1978’s Southern 500, and in the spring of 1981 with NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip. He led Waltrip’s team to victory as crew chief in the spring of 1984.

Darlington’s Labor Day Race Weekend begins at 3:30 p.m. Saturday with the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200. Then at 6 p.m., Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series stars will battle to secure their spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with the Cook Out Southern 500, one of NASCAR’s crown jewel events and the final race of the regular season.

NASCAR fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets while supplies last at 866-459-7223 or online at darlingtonraceway.com.

About Darlington Raceway

Darlington Raceway, nicknamed The Lady in Black and the Track Too Tough To Tame, is home to the award-winning Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR and annually hosts two NASCAR Cup Series race weekends, along with the NASCAR Xfinity Series and/or NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Opening in 1950, Darlington Raceway is “A NASCAR Tradition” and NASCAR’s original superspeedway with its famed 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval, challenging the sports best in one of the most iconic NASCAR races, the Southern 500®. For more information about Darlington Raceway, visit darlingtonraceway.com. Stay connected to Darlington Raceway on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the NASCAR Tracks App.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Series, NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 12 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.

For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, X and Snapchat.

Source: Darlington Raceway

Photo Credit: Hunter Thomas/TheFourthTurn.com