Darlington will honor late NASCAR Cup champion Yarborough during throwback

FILE – Cale Yarborough, stock car racer, is seen in this 1972 photo. Darlington Raceway will pay tribute to the late NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough by displaying his No. 29 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass during its throwback weekend at the Goodyear 400 in May. (AP Photo, File)

(AP) — Darlington Raceway will pay tribute to the late NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough by displaying his No. 29 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass during its throwback weekend at the Goodyear 400 in May.

Yarborough, a native of Sardis, South Carolina, and three-time Cup champion, died on New Year’s Eve at age 84.

His car will be shown in the Darlington Raceway Stock Car Museum on the outside of the track nicknamed “Too Tough to Tame,” the latest honor there for Yarborough, who won five Southern 500s, which is second all-time to Jeff Gordon’s six victories. The NASCAR Cup Series garage there was dedicated to him in 2016.

The car going on display came from the Florence County Museum. Yarborough drove it in 26 races in 1987 and 1988, with a pair of top-five finishes at Pocono and Talladega.

First-year Darlington President Josh Harris said with Darlington as Yarborough’s home track, “it’s an honor to commemorate his impact to our sport.”

Yarborough won 83 races, with four Daytona 500 victories to go with his five at Darlington in the Southern 500. He won three NASCAR titles from 1976-78.

The annual throwback weekend, NASCAR’s tribute to its past, culminates with the Goodyear 400 on May 12.