Fred Lorenzen spent his NASCAR career making history. More than half a century after his greatest victories, the Hall of Famer’s name is now attached to another milestone, one his family hopes will help other drivers avoid the suffering they witnessed firsthand.
Researchers at Boston University’s CTE Center have diagnosed Lorenzen with stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) following an examination of his brain after his death, the Concussion & CTE Foundation announced Tuesday, Oct. 20.
Lorenzen, who died Dec. 18, 2024, at age 89, is the first NASCAR driver known to have received a confirmed CTE diagnosis. The degenerative brain disease is associated with repeated head impacts and can currently be definitively diagnosed only after death.
For Lorenzen’s children, Chris Lorenzen and Amanda Lorenzen Gardstrom, the findings follow two decades of watching their father live with dementia.
Now, they’re committing $1 million to help other racing families find answers and support.
Fred Lorenzen’s Family Speaks Out About His Years With Dementia
Long before Lorenzen’s health deteriorated, he was one of NASCAR’s biggest stars.
Nicknamed “Fast Freddie” and “The Golden Boy,” Lorenzen won 26 Cup Series races, including the 1965 Daytona 500. He was the first driver to earn $100,000 in a single NASCAR season and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015.
But away from the accomplishments that made him famous, Lorenzen and his family were facing an increasingly difficult reality.
His daughter said he had struggled for years before receiving a dementia diagnosis in his 60s.
“My dad struggled for many years, long before he was diagnosed with dementia in his 60s,” Gardstrom said in the foundation’s announcement.
“Watching him go through that, and experiencing the impact it had on me and our family was incredibly difficult and beyond heartbreaking.”
In 2016, Lorenzen pledged to donate his brain for research. Nearly a decade later, that decision has provided researchers with important findings about a disease that remains difficult to study in living patients.
The diagnosis is significant, although it does not establish how widespread CTE is among NASCAR drivers or determine which specific events during Lorenzen’s racing career contributed to the disease.
Lorenzen Family Donates $1 Million to Help Other NASCAR Drivers
Rather than keeping the findings private, Lorenzen’s children have chosen to use them to help other families navigating similar circumstances.
Their $1 million donation to the Concussion & CTE Foundation will support further research and establish the Fred Lorenzen Memorial HelpLine, a resource connecting current and former racing drivers and their families with care and information about persistent concussion symptoms and suspected CTE.
The family also hopes to support efforts to make CTE diagnosable during a person’s lifetime.
In announcing the initiative, Chris Lorenzen expressed disappointment that NASCAR had not joined the effort following discussions earlier this year.
“We had hoped NASCAR would join us in this effort, and while we’re disappointed that hasn’t happened, we remain hopeful there will be opportunities to work together to support the drivers who helped build the sport,” he said.
The foundation said the family opened discussions with NASCAR leadership in January. The announcement did not specify the terms of the proposed collaboration or why NASCAR declined to participate.
For the Lorenzens, however, the effort is moving forward.
Their father’s name will remain associated with his Daytona 500 victory, his remarkable winning record and his place among NASCAR’s pioneers. His children now hope it can also help families facing questions about the long-term effects of brain injuries.
The Fred Lorenzen Memorial HelpLine is available through the Concussion & CTE Foundation at ConcussionAndCTE.org/Lorenzen.