NASCAR legend Fred Lorenzen had Stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), Concussion & CTE Foundation has announced. This means he is the first driver to be diagnosed with CTE, a brain disease associated with repeated head impacts. Lorenzen died in December 2024 at the age of 89. Notably, the disease currently can be confirmed only by examining brain tissue after death.
Fred Lorenzen made NASCAR history by becoming the first driver to earn $100,000 in a single season and win at every superspeedway on the circuit in one season, including the 1965 Daytona 500. He was voted NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver in 1963 and 1965 and was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers of All Time. Lorenzen was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015.