Edward Glenn "Fireball" Roberts
January 20, 1929 - July 2, 1964
Fireball Roberts was born on this date 95 years ago. He earned his nickname "Fireball" because of his fastball while pitching for the Zellwood Mud Hens, an American Legion team in Florida. In 1945, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps, but was soon discharged due to asthma.
He began racing on dirt tracks while attending the University of Florida. In 1947, he raced on the Daytona Beach and Road Course for the first time. He won a 150-mile race at Daytona Beach the following year. He made his NASCAR Grand National debut, also at Daytona Beach, on February 5, 1950. He finished 33rd after completing only 11 laps. He won his very first Grand National race at Hillsboro on August 13, 1950. As a rookie, he would finish 2nd to Bill Rexford for the championship that same year. It was the best finish of his career as he did not compete full-time.
Roberts would make 206 GN starts between 1950-1964. He had 33 wins, 122 Top Tens, and 32 poles. He also made 16 starts in the NASCAR Convertible Series between 1956-1959. In that series, he had 4 wins, 12 Top Tens, and 4 pole positions.
In 1957, he was named the Grand National Series' Most Popular Driver. He was a three-time Daytona 500 pole winner (1961, 1962, and 1963). Roberts won the 1962 Daytona 500. He was also a two-time winner of the Southern 500 (1958 and 1963). In 1962, Roberts and Bob Grossman finished 6th overall in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and 1st in their class.
Roberts' 206th and final GN start came in the World 600 at Charlotte on May 24, 1964. Early in the race, Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson collided. Jarrett's car hit the inside wall. Roberts tried to avoid the wreckage but also slammed into the wall. Roberts wasn't injured by the crash itself. However, he was pinned in the car as the fuel tank exploded and engulfed the car in flames. Jarrett helped pull Roberts out, but he had suffered severe burns over 75% of his body. He was taken to nearby Memorial Hospital. For a time, it looked as though Roberts would recover. However, he took a turn for the worse and developed pneumonia. He died on July 2nd at the age of 35.
Roberts' death led the safety changes within NASCAR. It would be required that drivers wear flame ratardant suits. NASCAR also mandated the use of a fuel cell that would contain a car's gas and help prevent it from spreading wildly in an accident and, too often, igniting.
In 1998, Roberts was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers. He is a member of the following Halls of Fame:
Florida Sports Hall of Fame (1961)
International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1990)
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1995)
NASCAR Hall of Fame (2014)
