NASCAR Team Owner, Engine Builder and Hall of Fame Inductee Robert Yates Dies From Cancer

MOORESVILLE, NC -- NASCAR engine builder, team owner and Hall Of Fame inductee Robert Yates died Monday following a protracted battle with liver cancer.

Yates, 74 and the co-owner the Mooresville-based Roush Yates Engines, was “surrounded by his family and loved ones,” when he passed, the company said on their social media late Monday night.

The racing legend began his storied career in NASCAR as an engine builder, eventually launching Robert Yates Racing supporting drivers Davey Allison and Dale Jarrett. While he retired from team ownership in 2007, he continued building engines in a company co-founded with his son Doug Yates, supplying Ford with their Cup-level engines, NASCAR said.

“His many accomplishments included winning the NASCAR championship in 1999 and being selected for the class of 2018 NASCAR Hall of Fame. I am proud to have been a part of both of those events but most meaningful to me was our friendship which spanned over 20 years,” Edsel B. Ford II, member of the board of directors, Ford Motor Company, said in a statement, according to NASCAR.

“First and foremost an engine guy, Robert will be remembered as a person who helped build the sport with dedication and hard work,” Ford said. “His legacy at NASCAR will be defined by his roles as an engine builder, championship team owner, co-founder of Roush Yates Engines and ultimately by the innovation that he brought to all of these endeavors and more.”

Yates is scheduled to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January. He is survived by his wife Carolyn and children, Doug and Amy, and eight grandchildren.

My Dad and Hero, Robert Yates, has passed and is with the Lord. Thanks for all the prayers and support. pic.twitter.com/hxa0wfdZkE
— Doug Yates (@Yates_Doug) October 3, 2017

Photo via Pixabay

Keep up with more local news by liking Mooresville Patch on Facebook: