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Fred Lorenzen has become the first known NASCAR driver diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), after researchers at Boston University examined his brain following his death in December 2024.
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The NASCAR Hall of Famer was posthumously diagnosed with Stage 3 CTE after living with dementia for 20 years. Following the findings, his children, son Chris Lorenzen and daughter Amanda Lorenzen Gardstrom, announced a $1 million donation to the Concussion & CTE Foundation to fund research and support former drivers and their families.
The Lorenzen family began discussions with NASCAR leadership in January about the diagnosis and its plans to support former drivers. The family had hoped NASCAR would join the initiative, but the foundation’s announcement says the sanctioning body declined.
“We had hoped NASCAR would join us in this effort, and while we’re disappointed that hasn’t happened, we remain hopeful there will be opportunities to work together to support the drivers who helped build the sport,” Chris Lorenzen said. However, the announcement did not establish why NASCAR declined to participate.
The announcement also follows another Hall of Famer’s family’s disclosure that Darrell Waltrip has frontotemporal degeneration complicated by possible CTE. Unlike Lorenzen’s posthumous diagnosis, Waltrip’s case has not been presented as a confirmed CTE diagnosis.
Fred Lorenzen’s Brain Study Results: What Did Researchers Find?
The Boston University CTE Center identified Stage 3 CTE, the second-highest of four stages, in Lorenzen’s brain. Researchers also found what they described as cortical-sparing CTE, a subtype in which the disease is more severe in areas of the brain associated with behavior and movement.
Dr. Thor Stein, the neuropathologist who examined Lorenzen’s brain, said this pattern appears in around 10% of CTE cases and can be associated with behavioral symptoms and Parkinson’s-like movement disorders.
CTE is associated with repeated head impacts and can currently be confirmed only through a postmortem examination of brain tissue. Lorenzen’s diagnosis is a documented case in motorsports, but it does not mean that every former driver who develops dementia has CTE.
Lorenzen’s diagnosis has renewed attention to the long-term health risks drivers may face after careers involving repeated impacts. The family’s initiative aims to help those experiencing symptoms and improve support for their loved ones.
How Will the Family’s $1 Million Donation Help?
The donation will establish the Fred Lorenzen Memorial HelpLine through the Concussion & CTE Foundation, offering care navigation, education, and support groups for families dealing with suspected CTE and persistent concussion symptoms.
It will also support research by Dr. Ann McKee and Dr. Michael Alosco at the Boston University CTE Center, including efforts to develop ways to diagnose CTE during a person’s lifetime.
Amanda Lorenzen Gardstrom, Fred Lorenzen’s daughter, described the impact of her father’s illness on the family. “My dad struggled for many years, long before he was diagnosed with dementia in his 60s,” she said. “Watching him go through that, and experiencing the impact it had on me and our family was incredibly difficult and beyond heartbreaking.”
She said the family wanted to help others facing similar challenges and ensure they had access to support.
Fred Lorenzen’s NASCAR Legacy
Known as “The Golden Boy” and “Fast Freddie,” Lorenzen won 26 premier-series races, including the 1965 Daytona 500. He became the first NASCAR driver to earn more than $100,000 in prize money in a single season and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015.
Lorenzen died on December 18, 2024, at age 89. His family had pledged his brain for research in 2016, enabling the examination that led to his CTE diagnosis.
Through the donation, Lorenzen’s family hopes to turn its experience into practical support for former drivers and further research into the disease.
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This story was originally published October 21, 2026 at 5:07 AM.