Remembering the ‘Elmhurst Express,’ one of NASCAR’s early stars

Before NASCAR takes the streets in Grant Park on Sunday, it's worth remembering the era when racing was done inside Soldier Field.

One of the great early stars of NASCAR in the 1960s was Elmhurst native Fred Lorenzen. He died at 89 on Dec. 18, 2024.

Nicknamed the “Elmhurst Express,” Lorenzen won 26 races between 1962-67, including the 1965 Daytona 500; was inducted in the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015 and named to the sport's 50 Greatest Drivers list in 1998.

“Fred was the picture-perfect NASCAR star, helping to bring the sport to the silver screen, which further grew NASCAR's popularity during its early years,” NASCAR CEO Jim France said in a statement last December.

By silver screen, France is likely referring to the 1968 film, “Speed Lovers,” which starred Lorenzen. Before finding fame on the NASCAR speedways, he raced locally at Soldier Field and the long-gone O'Hare Stadium in Schiller Park.

Stan Kalwasinski is an auto racing historian who grew up on the South Side and has written about Lorenzen's career.

“I used to watch Fred Lorenzen racing NASCAR on ABC's 'Wide World of Sports' when I was a teenager,” Kalwasinski said. “They'd start off and they'd show you five minutes of the start of the race, then they'd show you another five minutes after cliff diving in Puerto Rico, then they'd come back for the finish of the race later.

“That's how I got to know Fred Lorenzen, just as a fan. White No. 28 car, Lafayette Ford was the sponsor.”

According to a story in Elmhurst magazine, Lorenzen's first win was a demolition derby at Soldier Field in the 1950s. The track announcer would ask for five or 10 guys in white T-shirts and jeans to jump out of the crowd and take the wheel.

While competing on the local Chicago racing circuit, Lorenzen made his NASCAR debut in 1956. His big break came a few years later, when he got an offer from Ralph Moody to drive for the Holman-Moody racing team starting in the 1961 season. He was one of the rare Northern natives to compete in that era.

“He was the first driver to win over $100,000 in a single season, that was 1963,” Kalwasinski said. “He did it and he only ran the big money races (competing in 29 of 55 on the schedule).”

Lorenzen's career was successful and short. The York High School graduate won his last race in 1967, a Daytona 500 qualifier, didn't race in 1968 or '69, then competed in a handful of events from 1970-72.

Kalwasinski referenced this quote from Lorenzen in 1985: “I quit way too early. I was good for another five or six years. I was at my prime, but I’d won about everything there was to win and I had plenty of money. I was sick with stomach ulcers, and I was tired of traveling and living out of a suitcase.”

Another reason for the early retirement was the death of friend and teammate Glenn “Fireball” Roberts in a crash at the 1964 World 600 in Charlotte.

“Most of all, the spark was gone, the candle was out, the King (Roberts) was dead,” Lorenzen continued. “His death had a great influence and impact on me. I always wanted to be better than he was, so he pushed and drove me to excel.”

By retiring when he did, Lorenzen was able to return to Elmhurst, raise a family and build a successful real estate company.

“I know some people that bought property from him,” Kalwasinski said. “He'd say, 'Here, I'll show you my trophy room.' He had this room with all his trophies and awards that he'd gathered over the years.

“He turned the light on, 'Well, this is it.' Then he'd turn off the lights. 'That was a long time ago.'”

His daughter Amanda Gardstrom said she didn't even realize he was famous until she took over the task of answering his fan mail later in life. Lorenzen spent his final years in assisted living in Oak Brook and was thought to suffer from CTE, a brain injury caused by repeated head trauma.

In a memorial essay written by Gardstrom, she told a touching story illustrating what was important to her dad.

“Funny thing is, he had trouble remembering what year it was,” Gardstrom wrote. “But at the end of each visit, my dad always asked if I had enough gas and if my car was clean.”