NASCAR Faces Backlash After Rejecting Fred Lorenzen Family’s CTE Research Proposal

NASCAR has declined a partnership proposal from the family of Hall of Fame driver Fred Lorenzen to support research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), despite the family offering a plan to expand existing medical studies. The decision comes after researchers confirmed Stage 3 CTE in Lorenzen’s brain following his death in December 2024. His daughter, Amanda Lorenzen Gardstrom, said the family spent more than six months trying to secure NASCAR’s support for research led by Boston University’s CTE Center. The proposal requested up to $1 million annually over three years.