Watch: 3-Time NASCAR Champion Cale Yarborough Once Created a Unique Record

All the way back in the 1983 season, former NASCAR driver Cale Yarborough achieved an incredible feat. During the qualifying session for that year’s Daytona 500, he had really been on a roll. In fact, he became the first NASCAR driver to break the 200 mph barrier at the Daytona International Speedway. Although, the first-ever driver to breach that barrier in NASCAR was Buddy Baker in 1970 at the Talladega Superspeedway.

Yarborough’s official speed was 200.503 mph, and he was gunning for pole position. The driver then tried to push the limits even further on his next lap and go even faster. Unfortunately, this meant that he had asked a little too much from the car.

Yarborough lost control almost immediately and ran into the corner. The #28 car briefly went airborne and went on its roof before skidding on to the retaining wall. Finally, the Ranier-Lundy Racing car bounced back on its four wheels and slid down to the inside of the track.

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What did Cale Yarborough say about crossing 200 mph?

Speaking after the race, he said, “Well, it feels real good. If I could have done it two laps in a row. Of course, we had problems on the second lap, but it feels good to be the fastest man to ever run around here. I’ve been here for a long time, so I’m happy with the record.”

In the end, though, the driver was classified in the 8th position, while Ricky Rudd snatched the pole position. But the gritty Yarborough managed to redeem himself by clawing his way up the order and winning the race. Along the way, he led around 23 laps, which was the fourth highest behind Joe Ruttman, Buddy Baker, and Richard Petty.

Ruttman finished in fourth after starting in 11th on the grid. He was behind Buddy Baker, who started fifth, and Bill Elliott, who made a pretty impressive comeback after starting in the 17th place. Meanwhile, among the many drivers who encountered problems during the race was poor old Petty. He was forced to retire after starting from sixth on the grid. As it turned out, an engine issue cost the 7-time Cup Series champion a chance of winning the Daytona 500.

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