Fireball Roberts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fireball Roberts |
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Grave marker
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| Born | Edward Glenn Roberts Jr. January 20, 1929 Tavares, Florida, U.S. |
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| Died | July 2, 1964 (aged 35) Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| Cause of death | Complications due to racing crash on May 24, 1964, during the 1964 World 600 | ||||||
| Achievements | Daytona 500 pole winner 1961, 1962, 1963 1962 Daytona 500 winner 1958, 1963 Southern 500 winner |
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| Awards | 1957 Grand National Series Most Popular Driver Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1990) Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1995) Florida Sports Hall of Fame NASCAR Hall of Fame (2014) Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023) |
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| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 206 races run over 15 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 2nd (1950) | ||||||
| First race | 1950 (Daytona Beach) | ||||||
| Last race | 1964 World 600 (Charlotte) | ||||||
| First win | 1950 (Hillsboro) | ||||||
| Last win | 1964 (Augusta) | ||||||
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| Statistics current as of February 23, 2013. | |||||||
Edward Glenn "Fireball" Roberts Jr. (January 20, 1929 – July 2, 1964) was a famous American stock car racer. He was known for his exciting driving style and became one of the biggest stars in NASCAR during the 1950s and early 1960s. His life was cut short by a tragic racing accident.
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Early Life and His Nickname
Roberts was born in Tavares, Florida. He grew up in Apopka, Florida. As a young boy, he loved both auto racing and baseball.
He was a pitcher for a local baseball team called the Zellwood Mud Hens. He threw the ball so fast that his teammates started calling him "Fireball." This nickname stuck with him throughout his racing career. In 1945, he joined the United States Army Air Corps. However, he was discharged after basic training because he had asthma.
Racing Highlights
Fireball Roberts went to the University of Florida. But he spent his weekends racing on dirt tracks. In 1947, when he was just 18, he raced for the first time at the famous Daytona Beach Road Course in Daytona. The next year, he won a 150-mile race there. He also competed in local stock and modified races in Florida.
As NASCAR racing changed from short dirt tracks to bigger, faster "superspeedways" in the 1950s and 1960s, Fireball Roberts continued to win. He raced in 206 NASCAR Grand National races during his career. He won 33 of those races and earned the "pole position" (starting first) 32 times. This means he was often one of the fastest drivers.
He finished in the top five in 45% of his races. He placed in the top ten 59% of the time. In 1962, he had an amazing year. He won both the Daytona 500 and the Firecracker 250 races. He drove a black and gold 1962 Pontiac car built by the legendary car builder, Smokey Yunick. Roberts also helped design the Augusta International Raceway, which was where he got his last win.
Between 1962 and 1964, Roberts also raced in major sports car races. He even won his class at the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France. He drove a Ferrari 250 GTO for the North American Racing Team.
A Tragic Accident
On May 24, 1964, Fireball Roberts was racing in the World 600 at Charlotte. On lap seven, two other drivers, Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson, crashed. Roberts tried to avoid them but hit the wall. His Ford car flipped over and caught fire.
Witnesses heard Roberts calling for help from his burning car. Ned Jarrett quickly rushed to help him. Roberts suffered serious burns over 80% of his body. He was flown to a hospital in critical condition. It was later learned that Roberts had asthma. The chemicals used to put out the fire made his breathing problems much worse.
Roberts fought for his life for several weeks. It seemed like he might recover. However, his condition worsened on June 30, 1964. He developed pneumonia and a severe infection called sepsis. He slipped into a coma the next day. Fireball Roberts died from his burns on July 2, 1964.
His Lasting Impact
The deaths of Fireball Roberts and two other drivers, Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald, in 1964 led to big changes in racing safety. These tragedies pushed for more research into fire-retardant uniforms. They also led to the creation of safer fuel cells for race cars. Modern race cars now use special foam-filled fuel cells to prevent fuel from spilling and catching fire. All drivers must now wear fully fire-retardant Nomex racing suits.
Roberts had lost his close friend, Joe Weatherly, in a racing accident earlier in 1964.
Even though his career ended too soon and he never won a Grand National championship, Fireball Roberts is remembered as one of NASCAR's greatest drivers. He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998. He was also inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1995. In 2014, he was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
After Roberts' death, NASCAR made new rules for driver safety. All drivers had to wear flame-retardant suits. They also made the five-point safety harness and special driver's seats required in all NASCAR vehicles.
A "streaming TV" show called the "Fireball Run" was started in 2007. It's an "adventurally" series named after Roberts. Teams compete in an 8-day, 2000-mile race and trivia game. They raise money for organizations that help find missing and exploited children. The Fireball Run has helped find 38 missing children.
Images for kids
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Grave marker for Fireball Roberts.
