Racing legend Fred Lorenzen becomes the first known NASCAR driver diagnosed with CTE

NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Fred Lorenzen has become the first known NASCAR driver diagnosed posthumously with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Researchers at the Boston University CTE Center identified Stage 3 CTE in Lorenzen's brain, according to an announcement made by his children, Chris Lorenzen and Amanda Lorenzen Gardstrom. Lorenzen passed away on December 18, 2024, at age 89 after living with dementia for two decades.

In response to the diagnosis, Lorenzen's children pledged a $1 million donation to the Concussion and CTE Foundation to launch the Fred Lorenzen Memorial HelpLine for drivers and their families. Lorenzen enjoyed a storied racing career throughout the 1960s, winning the 1965 Daytona 500 and becoming the first driver in NASCAR series history to earn $100,000 in prize money in a single season.