NASCAR Race Legends - Fireball Roberts

While he is considered one of the first superstars of NASCAR there is no doubt Fireball Roberts was its first Legend. And he remains, along with Dale Earnhardt Sr., at the top of the list of NASCAR's legendary drivers that are no longer with us. He has also taken into account, along with Fred Lorenzen, the greatest driver never to win a NASCAR Cup title.

Roberts amassed 32 wins, including the 1962 Daytona 500, in a career that spanned 15 seasons before his untimely death in 1964 byIncurred injuries in a fiery accident. He was the first NASCAR driver to nine victories on the major race tracks to achieve. Roberts had natural physical skills, and while he was noted for his bravery Super Speedway, he could drive the short title, and ran from door to door with Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, Ned Jarrett and Joe Weatherly.

Always ahead of his time was Robert's not the stereotypical NASCAR driver. He was an engineering student at the University of Florida.He loved classical music and he loved to dance. He loved to fly his plane Comanche splash in the stock market and participate in Jai Alai, both as spectators and a player.

Fireball the second to Bill Rexford in his rookie season in the then and the beginning of NASCAR. He divided his time between the NASCAR Grand Nationals and the NASCAR Modifieds for five years before he only NASCAR Grand National race. In his first year back in 1956, won five races and Robertsfour poles to the end of the score in the sixth. He ran only 10 times in 1958 but had six wins, one second and a third, and finished 11th in the score Despite missing almost 80% of the races.

He won several times over the years, but it was on the fast, exciting new super highways, picking up in the late 50s and early 60s, where he began his brand. "His favorite was Darlington and Roberts honed his skills Super Speedway and became one of the best bigTrack drivers of his era. He won the Rebel 300 in 1957 and 1959 and the Southern 500 in 1958 and 1963. In 1960 he won the Dixie 500 at Atlanta International Raceway. His 1962 Daytona 500 and July Firecracker 400 victories has his faith to Super Speedway fame and made him the first to sweep the highway to two events in one season.

He came to Charlotte in 1964 for the 600th World He started in the middle of the pack, but at the beginning of the race he crashed and tried to avoidWreck before him. His famous No. 22 Holman-Moody Ford hit the retaining wall, flipped, and burst into flames. Roberts suffered burns over 80% of his body and survived only 37 days before he succumbed to pneumonia and died on 2 July 1964. Fireball has legendary status as a racing driver and will endure the test of time, because he certainly unique.