Boston University researchers have found stage 3 (of 4) chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the brain of Fred Lorenzen, the NASCAR Hall of Fame driver who died in December 2024 at age 89. It is the first known CTE diagnosis in a NASCAR driver. The Concussion & CTE Foundation announced the finding on October 20, 2026.
Lorenzen lived with dementia for about 20 years; it was diagnosed in his 60s, and his family says he struggled for years before that. Neuropathologist Dr. Thor Stein of the BU CTE Center studied his brain.
His children are donating $1 million to the Concussion & CTE Foundation to create the Fred Lorenzen Memorial HelpLine, help drivers and their families find care, and support Boston University’s work toward diagnosing CTE in living people. The family said it was disappointed that NASCAR chose not to join the initiative.
What this does and doesn’t tell us
The case adds motorsport to the list of activities in which CTE has been found. A single case does not tell us how common CTE is among race car drivers, and CTE can still be confirmed only by examining the brain after death.
Sources: Concussion & CTE Foundation · The Washington Times
Families looking for support can find help on our Resources page, and other confirmed cases are on Who is CTE.
