Edward Glenn "Fireball" Roberts, Jr. (January 20, 1929 in Tavares, Florida - July 2, 1964 in Charlotte, North Carolina) was one of the pioneering race car drivers of NASCAR. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. ... NASCAR Nextel Cup logo NEXTEL Cup trophy, adopted in 2004 4-time champion Jeff Gordon poses with the Winston Cup trophy (used prior to 2004) The NASCAR Championship is the championship held in NASCARs top stock car racing series. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Daytona Beach Road Course was a race track that was instrumental in the formation of NASCAR. It originally became famous as the location where fifteen world land speed records were set. ... For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... The Coca-Cola 600 (formerly World 600) is a six hundred mile stock car race held annually at Lowes Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway) in Charlotte, North Carolina on Memorial Day weekend. ... Lowes Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway) is a superspeedway in Concord, North Carolina, a few miles north of Charlotte. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Occoneechee Speedway was one of the first two NASCAR tracks to open and is the only track remaining from the inaugural, 1949 season. ... For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Tavares is a city located in Lake County, Florida. ... July 2 is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 182 days remaining. ... For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... Nickname: The Queen City, The Hornets Nest Official website: http://www. ... Auto racing (also known as automobile racing, autosport or motorsport) is a sport involving racing automobiles. ... The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. ...

Background

Roberts was raised in Apopka, Florida 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. Apopka is a city located in Orange County, Florida. ... Baseball is a team sport in which a player on one team (the pitcher) attempts to throw a hard, fist-sized ball within a zone over home plate while a player on the other team (the batter) attempts to hit the baseball with a tapered, smooth, cylindrical bat that can... A baseball pitcher delivers the ball to home plate In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws the baseball from the pitchers mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter who attempts to either make contact with it or draw a... The American Legion is an organization of veterans of the United States armed forces who served in wartime. ... 1. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ...

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 would race 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 would win a 150-mile race at Daytona Beach the following year. Image File history File links Pr09092. ... Image File history File links Pr09092. ... The University of Florida (also known as Florida or UF) is a public university and land-grant institution located in Gainesville, Florida. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... A Daytona Beach Bar The worlds most famous beach Daytona Beach is a city located in Volusia County, Florida, USA. As of 2004, the population estimates recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 64,422. ...

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% of the time. The 1950s were a decade that spanned the years 1950 through 1959. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ...

Roberts at the July 4, 1962 Daytona race, courtesy Florida Photographic Collection

Roberts was known to have an allergic reaction to flame-retardent chemicals, and could not dip his clothing in chemicals then used for drivers to wear. Image File history File links C620019. ... Image File history File links C620019. ...

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 seven, Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson collided and spun out and Roberts crashed trying to avoid them. Roberts's Ford slammed backwards into the inside retaining wall, flipped over and burst into flames. Witnesses who were at the track claimed that they heard Roberts screaming 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% of his body and was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition. May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ... For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... The Coca-Cola 600 (formerly World 600) is a six hundred mile (966 km) stock car race held annually at Lowes Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway) in Charlotte, North Carolina on Memorial Day weekend. ... Nickname: The Queen City, The Hornets Nest Official website: http://www. ... Ned Jarrett (born October 12, 1932 in Newton, North Carolina) was a two-time NASCAR champion. ... Robert Glen Johnson, Jr. ... The Ford Motor Company (usually called Ford; sometimes called FoMoCo), (NYSE: F) is a multinational corporation that manufactures automobiles. ... In medicine, a burn is a type of injury to the skin caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, or radiation (an example of the latter is sunburn). ...

Roberts was able to survive for several weeks and it appeared that he might pull through, but on June 30, Roberts began to take a turn for the worse. He contracted pneumonia and sepsis and he slipped into a coma by the next day. He died on July 2. June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 184 days remaining. ... Pneumonia is an illness of the lungs and respiratory system in which the microscopic, air-filled sacs (alveoli) responsible for absorbing oxygen from the atmosphere become inflamed and flooded with fluid. ... Sepsis (in Greek Σήψις, putrefaction) is a serious medical condition caused by a severe infection. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Fireball Roberts leads Bobby Johns at the July 4, 1962 Daytona race, courtesy Florida Photographic Collection

Roberts' death, and also the deaths of two drivers at the Indianapolis 500 the same year, led to an increase in research for fire-retardent uniforms, and 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 massiveness that Roberts had. Also, fully fire-retardent coveralls would be phased in, and is now mandatory. Image File history File links C620010. ... Image File history File links C620010. ...

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. NASCAR Nextel Cup logo The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series is NASCARs top racing series. ...

• 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.

NASCARs 50 Greatest Drivers is a list of NASCAR drivers. ... The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to auto racing either as a driver, owner, developer or engineer. ... This article is about the year. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Concord is a city located in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte. ... Lowes Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway) is a superspeedway in Concord, North Carolina, a few miles north of Charlotte. ... The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum in Novi, Michigan for American motorsports legends. ...

External links

• Fireball Roberts web site
• NASCAR.com: Glenn "Fireball" Roberts
• IMHoF: Glenn "Fireball" Roberts
• Fireball Roberts at racing-reference.com