Passing of Cale Yarborough and North America's Greatest Racing Generation

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

The passing of Cale Yarborough today made me think about how those that brought motorsports to the masses the last 50 years or so are slowly fading away. I know racing doesn't get much talk on here but there's about 40-50 drivers (especially in Indycar and NASCAR) who basically created a popularity boom that arguably no other sport has ever seen in the last 100 years. I grew up within a stones throw of the home the Andretti's, attended NASCAR races Dover and Pocono for 30 plus years and have seen races at other facilities so the past definitely has sentiment. Most of the NASCAR stars from the 1980s and 1990s who took the sport to the point of rivaling the NFL are sniffing their 70s...

I know Bobby Allison, 83, is in rough shape so it would shock me to see him pass soon.
Ned Jarrett 91
AJ Foyt 88
Richard Petty 86
Gordon Johncock 87
Johnny Rutherford 85
Mario Andretti 83
Dave Marcis 82
Emerson Fittipaldi 77
Harry Gant 83
Darrell Waltrip 76
Tom Sneva 75
Geoff Bodine 74
Danny Sullivan 73
Rick Mears 72
Arie Lyuendyk 70
Bobby Rahal 70
Bill Elliott 68
Rusty Wallace 67
Dale Jarrett 67
Terry Labonte 67
Ricky Rudd 67
Sterling Marlin 66 (Marlin has Parkinson's)
Mark Martin 64
Ernie Irvan 64