Motor Racing

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Sport Magazine Remembers Glenn ‘Fireball’ Roberts, NASCAR Pioneer

Edward Glenn "Fireball" Roberts, Jr. (January 20, 1929 – July 2, 1964) was one of the pioneering race car drivers
of NASCAR.

Background
Roberts was born in Tavares, Florida, and raised in Apopka where he was interested in both auto racing and
baseball. He was a pitcher for the Zellwood Mud Hens, an American Legion baseball team, where he earned the
nickname "Fireball" because of his pitches. He enlisted with the Army Air Corps in 1945, but was discharged
after basic training because of asthma.

Racing career

Fireball Roberts in his car parked next to trophies (1958), courtesy Florida Photographic Collection

He spent some time at the University of Florida but raced on dirt tracks on weekends. In 1947, at the age of 18,
he raced on the beach course at Daytona for the first time. He won a 150-mile race at Daytona Beach the
following year.

Roberts continued to amass victories on the circuit, despite the changes in NASCAR as it moved away from
shorter dirt tracks to superspeedways in the 1950s and '60s. In his 206 career NASCAR Grand National races,
he won 33 times and had 32 poles. He finished in the top five 45 percent of the time.

Roberts (22) at the July 4, 1962, Daytona 500, courtesy Florida Photographic Collection

Death
On May 24, 1964, at the World 600 in Charlotte, Roberts had qualified in the 11th position and started in the
middle of the pack. On lap 7, Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson collided and spun out and Roberts crashed trying to
avoid them. Roberts' Ford slammed backward into the inside retaining wall, flipped over and burst into flames.
Witnesses at the track claimed they heard Roberts screaming, "Ned, help me!" from inside his car after the
wreck. Jarrett rushed to save Roberts as his car was engulfed by the flames. Roberts suffered second- and third-
degree burns over 80 percent of his body and was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition. Roberts was known
to have an allergic reaction to flame-retardant chemicals and could not dip his clothing in chemicals then used
for drivers to wear.

Roberts was able to survive for several weeks, and it appeared he might pull through, but on June 30 of that year,
Roberts took a turn for the worse. He contracted pneumonia and sepsis and slipped into a coma by the next day.
He died on July 2.

Fireball Roberts leads Bobby Johns at the July 4, 1962, Daytona 500. Courtesy Florida Photographic Collection

Roberts' death, as well as the deaths of two drivers at the Indianapolis 500 the same year, led to an increase in
research for fire-retardant uniforms. It also led to the development of the Firestone RaceSafe fuel cell, and all
race cars today use a foam-backed fuel cell to prevent severe fuel spillage of the massive degree that Roberts
had. Also, fully fire-retardant coveralls would be phased in leading to the now mandatory Nomex racing suits.

Legacy
Despite having his career cut short and having never won a Grand National title, Fireball Roberts is still
considered one of the best and most well-respected drivers in the history of NASCAR.

He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers.
He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990.
In 2000 the city of Concord, North Carolina named a street near Lowe's Motor Speedway in his honor.
He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1995.
An American Rally event was named in his honor The FIREBALL RUN: Transcontinental Rally in 2006.

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