Yarborough was born to Julian and Annie Yarborough in Sardis, South Carolina, the oldest of three sons. His father was a tobacco farmer, cotton gin operator, and store owner who was killed in a private airplane crash when Cale was twelve. Before his racing career, Yarborough was a Golden Gloves boxer and a football star at Timmonsville High School. He played semi-pro football in Columbia, South Carolina, for four seasons and was offered a tryout with the Washington Redskins.
His interest in racing began early; according to his autobiography Cale, he attended the 1951 Southern 500 as a young spectator without a ticket. As a teenager, he attempted to compete in the same race by lying about his age but was caught and disqualified by NASCAR.
Yarborough made his debut at the 1957 Southern 500 driving the No. 30 Pontiac for Bob Weatherly, finishing 42nd after suffering hub problems. After several years of sporadic entries, he earned his first top-ten finish at the 1962 Daytona 500 Qualifying Race. In 1963, he signed to drive the No. 19 Ford for Herman Beam, recording two fifth-place finishes.
His first career victory came in 1965 at Valdosta Speedway driving the #06 Ford for Kenny Myler. In late 1966, he joined the Wood Brothers team to drive the No. 21 Ford. In 1967, he won the Atlanta 500 and the Firecracker 400. In 1968, he won his first Daytona 500 in a duel with LeeRoy Yarbrough and became the second driver in history to sweep both Daytona events by also winning the Firecracker 400.
The 1970s marked Yarborough's most successful period. After focusing on USAC and IndyCar races in 1971 and 1972, he returned to NASCAR full-time in 1973 driving the No. 11 Kar-Kare Chevrolet for Richard Howard. He finished second in points that year, winning four races and leading every lap of the Southeastern 500 at Bristol.
In 1974, Yarborough won a career-high 10 races. Midway through that season, his team was bought by Junior Johnson. Between 1976 and 1978, Yarborough achieved a historic three-year championship run:
1976: Won nine races, including four in a row late in the season, to secure his first Winston Cup Championship.
1977: Won nine races and became the first driver in NASCAR history to win the championship without a single DNF. He led the points standings throughout the entire season, though he shared the lead with David Pearson after a tie in the first race.
1978: Switched to Oldsmobiles and matched his previous high of 10 wins, becoming the first driver to win three consecutive championships.
In 1980, Yarborough won a modern-era record 14 poles and six races, but lost the championship to Dale Earnhardt by 19 points. Following this season, he left the Junior Johnson team to spend more time with his family and ran a part-time schedule for the remainder of his career. He recommended Darrell Waltrip as his replacement. While driving for Johnson from 1973 to 1980, Yarborough won 55 races with a winning percentage of 26.57 percent.
The 1979 Daytona 500 featured one of the most significant moments in NASCAR history. While racing for the lead on the final lap, Yarborough and Donnie Allison wrecked. Following the crash, Yarborough got into a fight with Donnie and Bobby Allison. As the first 500-mile NASCAR race broadcast live in its entirety on television, the confrontation and the race itself are credited with starting the mass growth of NASCAR.
In 1983, Yarborough won his third Daytona 500 for Ranier–Lundy Racing. He repeated the win in 1984, becoming the second driver to score back-to-back wins in the event.
In 1986, Yarborough purchased Jack Beebe's Race Hill Farm team, renaming it Cale Yarborough Motorsports. He operated as an owner-driver in 1987 and 1988 before retiring from driving. As an owner, he employed drivers including Dale Jarrett, Dick Trickle, and John Andretti. The team's only victory came in 1997 at the Pepsi 400, where Andretti led 113 laps. Due to a lack of financing, Yarborough closed the team in early 2000 and sold it that summer to Chip MacPherson.
Yarborough retired from driving at the end of 1988. In his post-racing life, he owned Cale Yarborough Honda in Florence, South Carolina, for over 25 years and operated several agricultural businesses, including a ranch and farm in Sardis.
Yarborough died on December 31, 2023, at the McLeod Hospice House in Florence, South Carolina, at the age of 84. His death resulted from complications of a rare genetic disorder. He was married to Betty Jo Thigpen from 1961 and had three daughters: Julie, Kelley, and B.J.
Yarborough's 83 Cup Series wins tie him for sixth all-time. He was a three-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Driver of the Year Award (1977, 1978, 1979). He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1993), the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1994), and the NASCAR Hall of Fame (2011).
In 1969, the Ford Motor Company produced a "Cale Yarborough Special Edition" Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II, a limited edition homologation special featuring a red roof and stripe on a white body.
Yarborough competed in the Indianapolis 500 four times, finishing 10th in 1972. He also ran the 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing thirteen laps before a crash ended the team's efforts. In the International Race of Champions (IROC), he won the IROC VIII championship in 1984.
NASCAR Hall of Fame: Inducted 2011.
NMPA Driver of the Year: 1977, 1978, 1979.
South Carolina Hall of Fame: Inducted 2013.
Cale Yarborough Highway: A stretch of South Carolina Highway 403 named in his honor.
NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers: Named in 1998.
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