Cale Yarborough Wife: Meet Betty Jo Thigpen

Cale Yarborough Wife: Meet Betty Jo Thigpen – William Caleb Yarborough was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner, businessman, farmer, and rancher. He was one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships, winning in 1976, 1977, and 1978.

Cale Yarborough wife-Former American NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and businessman, William Caleb “Cale” Yarborough was born on March 27, 1939, in Timmonsville, South Carolina in the United States of America.

Who was Cale Yarborough's wife?

Cale Yarborough was survived by his wife,  Betty Jo Thigpen whom he was married to since 1961. She had three children with Cale and has been supportive of their family throughout all endeavors.

As of the time of filing this report, we have no further details about her personal life at the moment.

Cale Yarborough Early Life:

Cale Yarborough‘s early life in the tiny community of Sardis, South Carolina, was a blend of hard work, Southern grit, and a nascent passion for speed. Born in 1939, the eldest of three boys, Cale was raised by his parents, Julian and Annie, on their tobacco farm. Farming wasn't just a job, it was the rhythm of their lives, with young Cale joining his father and brothers in the fields from a young age. He learned the value of hard work, resilience, as well as facing challenges head-on.

Cale inherited his father's entrepreneurial spirit, too. Julian ran a cotton gin and the local general store, instilling in his sons a sense of business acumen and resourcefulness. Despite the rural setting, Cale wasn't sheltered from the world. He was a bright student and a standout athlete, excelling in high school football. This athleticism extended beyond the gridiron, as he also competed in semi-pro football and even donned the gloves as a Golden Gloves boxer.

But it was also the roar of engines that truly captured Cale's heart. He attended his first Southern 500 in 1951, a young boy mesmerized by the speed and the spectacle. The seed of racing ambition was planted, and it sprouted quickly. Ignoring his age, he tried to enter the Southern 500 himself as a teenager, only to be caught and disqualified. The setback didn't deter him; it fueled his determination.

In addition to competing in IndyCar races, he was one of the best stock car drivers in the 1960s and 1980s. He became so famous that the Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II had a special model named after him.

After Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip, who are tied for fourth place with 84 victories apiece, he is sixth on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series winner's list with 83 wins, tied with Jimmie Johnson.

His victory percentage of 14.82% is third among players with 500 or more starts and the ninth-best in history. Four times did Yarborough win the Daytona 500: once for the Wood Brothers in 1968, again for Junior Johnson in 1977, and twice for Ranier-Lundy Racing in 1983 and 1984.

Yarborough won the Driver of the Year Award from the National Motorsports Press Association three times (1977, 1978, and 1979). In addition to running multiple prosperous agricultural companies and running Cale Yarborough Motorsports after retirement, he was a farmer and rancher on his own property near Florence, South Carolina.

Yarborough was elected to the Florence County Council in 1972, marking the first Republican election to do so since Reconstruction.

His old buddy Jimmy Carter was the presidential candidate he supported during the 1976 US presidential campaign. Yarborough was reelected to the county council in that year but as a Democrat this time.

Yarborough received numerous accolades, including being named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) and being inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1993, the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1994, and the Court of Legends at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1996.

Yarborough was one of the 25 candidates for the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2009, however, he was not chosen. He was again not selected for admission into the Hall of Fame's second class in 2010, despite his nomination.

SOURCE: Dklassgh.net