Geoff Bodine: My favorite Cale Yarborough memories

By Geoff Bodine

I don’t remember my first interaction with Cale Yarborough, but he was a tough, tough competitor.

He wouldn’t knock you out of the way, he didn’t slow down at the end of a race, and he wouldn’t get tired. Great guy.

I had the chance to race against him in 1979 and the 1980s in the Cup Series, during his final years as a professional racer.

I was in the 1979 Daytona 500 when he, Bobby Allison, and Donnie Allison were in the fight after the final lap. Every race fan remembers that.

Years later, I was driving the No. 50 car with Spectrum Furniture at Rockingham in Cup in 1982. Cale had lapped me during the race, but then it rained and the race was postponed to the next day.

Darrell Bryant, my crew chief, changed the spark plugs and put a few rounds of wedge in the spring. When the race resumed, my racecar was handling better and I unlapped myself around Cale.

I went from him lapping me, to unlapping myself, and eventually to coming back around to lap him!

Back in those days, the rear-end ratchets had springs in them, and sometimes they’d get weak when they were  heated up and cooled down. The ratchets could stop working.

During the race at Rockingham, I got off of Turn 4 sideways, so I tried to be conservative as I raced down the frontstretch and went into Turn 1. The ratchet unlocked and I spun around off of Turn 2. That was during my rookie year.

He was the one guy in the garage after I got through my rookie year, we’d chat together once in a while when we were around each other. I enjoyed our conversations and I got to know him. We’d continue to chat when we’d see each other over the years.

He wasn’t full-time at the end of his career, but there’s no question Cale was a great driver. He continued to be competitive in his final years, which were part-time schedules, running up front, and winning races. Not many drivers get to do that.

I got to race against a lot of really big names in NASCAR racing. Cale was a hero. He was a great racer. To hang around with him and be friends with him, I’m still in awe.

I was intimidated by him. I looked up to him like Richard Petty, David Pearson, and many, many more. They’re special and intimidating to me, because they’re super racers.

I’m glad I got to race against him, and I am glad I got to have a personal relationship with him.

There will never be another Cale Yarborough.

My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.