Fred Lorenzen, the celebrated Daytona 500 winner, has become the first known NASCAR driver diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) after his death in 2024 at the age of 89. The diagnosis was confirmed by the Boston University CTE Center, revealing Stage 3 of the brain disease linked to repeated head impacts.

Lorenzen's children, Chris Lorenzen and Amanda Lorenzen-Gardstrom, shared the findings with USA Today, expressing their emotional journey through grief and understanding. Amanda stated, "It's overwhelming to get to where we are today," highlighting the challenges of comprehension regarding their father's condition. She further noted, "It makes me understand why things happened the way they happened."

Chris Lorenzen remarked on the anticipated diagnosis, saying, "If we're seeing all these former NFL players with CTE from head injuries, how would NASCAR be any different?" He emphasized the dangers of high-speed crashes in racing, questioning how to better support injured drivers in the future.

NASCAR did not provide a comment regarding the diagnosis. Lorenzen, named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998, was known as the “Golden Boy” and won 26 career Cup races from 1956 to 1972. He was a pioneer in the sport, being the first driver to earn over $100,000 in a single season in 1963.

In his later years, Lorenzen battled dementia, which began showing signs around 2006. He had memory loss and required a wheelchair at Oak Brook Healthcare in Illinois. Amanda had previously expressed her conviction that her father suffered from CTE due to the brutal wrecks of the 1960s. "He never stopped to heal," she remarked.