The Tragic Tale of Fireball Roberts
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- Опубликовано: 29 май 2024
- Fireball Roberts is a NASCAR legend. He was a pioneer of the sport, a race winner, a hall of famer, and changed the sport in many ways. Unfortunately, Robert’s life was taken in a tragic fiery crash at the World 600. Today, we’re going to look at his legacy and his tragic passing in some detail.
The Tragic Tale of Fireball Roberts
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My Dad was a Pall Bearer at Fireball's funeral. Dad said he was just a really great guy in every way imaginable. Thanks for this video!
He was my dads favorite driver growing up in Florida when he raced. That’s so cool
Currently building a fireball Roberts 57 Ford Red & White, I've watched a lot of videos on RUclips and am still finding more,
Yep maybe Roberts could be close to my family because my dad's dad knows the guy but idk maybe he could be my relative
@@TheSouthern4501. ok thats Cool 😎🇦🇺
@@MetalMania3DTV-TAS-AUS if it was really but idk maybe it could be
1964 was a tragic year for motorsports. Besides Fireball we lost Joe Weatherly, Jimmy Pardue, Billy Wade, Eddie Sachs and Dave McDonald. R.I.P. to all.
Terrible year
I'm 68 yrs. old. In 1964, you could and did listen to motor racing on the radio. My father and I listened to Fireball's crash in our backyard.
Forgot Bobby Marshman who dominated the early parts of the Indy 500 before he lost the transmission oil plug. He died of burns from a post season testing accident.
@@keithstudly6071 You are right. Thanks for the reminder.
Also Bill Horstmeyer in IndyCar? His fatal crash was also 1964.
Ned Jarrett lost one finger and half of another pulling Roberts from the wreck. And like in the video, that wreck was the deciding factor for Ned retiring. Ned's wife Martha also had a huge influence in his decision.
RIP Fireball. A gentlemen, a class act, and a trailblazer in Nascar that was taken way too soon
Same with Junior
Which finger? Gotta admit I've been watching since the early 90's and have seen Ned on a lot of broadcasts but never noticed a finger missing.
Ned and Fireball were also at the cursed death race known as Augusta 510.
all top 8 of that race died or in ned's case, he retired after what happened to roberts and maimed his hands.
That was a sad year. Dad and I were in Daytona when Fireball passed. I'll never forget the Daytona paper headlines, "Fireball Robert's Dies". The only positives were NASCAR requiring "fuel cells" and partly because of Joe Weatherly's death at Riverside, "window nets".
@@yojoeski middle finger and ring finger on his right hand I believe. There is a race from 1979 on RUclips that shows the missing fingers when he's a pit reporter and he's talking about something with the tire wear and you can see plain as day the missing fingers
Fireball roberts death is one of the three greatest outpouring of public grief I have ever seen, jfk, Fireball, elvis, people who knew nothing about racing knew who Fireball was and he was loved by everyone. He was truly a legend who transcended the sport he loved
My forget Dale Sr. Too
@ronmcdonald-wm6fd Dale was a big deal in the nascar community some people loved him and some hated him most people outside of nascar didn't care one way or the other. Every one knew who Fireball was and loved him. Remember that in 1964 in the south nascar was professional sports and Fireball was nascar. I personally saw little old ladies who had never seen a race or even driven a car crying their eyes out when Fireball died
As a kid, he was my favorite. It wasn’t that I knew about racing at such a young age, it was his name. What kid wouldn’t love a racer named "Fireball"?
He Will be one of the most iconic drivers in nascar history and he Will be remember as the Best of the best
ford is being given a pass on this vid. they were acid dipping their cars to make them lighter, the un intended consequence was it also made them weaker.
He was NASCAR'S first superstar. I was burned in a gasoline fire years ago, spent months recovering. My heart goes out to him, I can not imagine what Glenn went through. There are no words that can describe the pain you go through when burned badly. GOD BLESS Mr. Roberts.
I was a child when Fireball Roberts was killed but I remember the news coverage and my Mom and Dad talking about this tragedy. Thanks for sharing this information about one of the true pioneers of NASCAR. I will share it with my 90 year old Mother.
From my home town, Apopka Florida (or at least the next little city over)...got his name "Fireball" from being a pitcher for the "Zellwood Mud Hens".... which got their name from the Zellwood Muck farms in Apopka which grew the sweetest corn on the planet. RIP to the hardest throwing pitcher the Mud Hens ever knew.
Fireball raced at my Dad's race tracks in Myrtle Beach and Savannah many times. I became acquainted with Fireball Ned, Tiny and joe and many others at the tracks growing up. Fireball was my favorite and we became Buddies. I would ride with him on his warm up laps holding on to the roll bars. When He changed helmet styles He gave me his Polo styled helmet. God I wish I still had it. When fireball Joe and Tiny were killed I stopped watching racing for several years. Now I don't watch it because it is so boring with all the segments, playoff and Race card going on. I drive a vintage open wheeled modified at small tracks for kicks now.
Your life follows that saying, When racing is in your blood, it never leaves! 🏁 My Dad raced local tracks in South FL in the first half of the 60's when I was a little girl. He stopped because of the danger and at my mom's urging. He was the breadwinner for our family of 6!
My brother and I had a go-cart with Fireball 500 painted in back in the early 60s. Sitting in the infield early turn 1 at Charlotte when the accident happened. We heard the wreck and had fleeting glimpses through the crowd. All we really say was thick black smoke rising quickly. Just kept watching for Fireball to round the track in front of us and it never happened. Had no idea how badly he was hurt until the next day when Dad got home from work and he told us. This informative video was the first I've ever heard of his having asthma, We had met him a couple times at Greenville Pickens Speedway where my Dad worked weekends. He was really nive and a favorite of all the kids along with Tiny Lund who always had time to play with the track kids after a race. I wore #22 in all three sports all thru little leagues thru high school. RIP Hero.
I live near GPS as a child, went to then dirt track. Was there when NASCAR was filmed there, saw the stars race. My guy was Butch Lindley, also had a tragic end, Do you have any more memories of GPS , drivers etc.
BS 3701 .............we grew up in a different time ..........I listened to the 600 on our families portable Emerson radio and got the news of his death in a 2 paragraphs local paper later ..........that's why I'm here , P.S. they brought his 63 Ford to the local track ( display ) and a couple of laps ..........but Pops was working !!!!!!
By the way, when Fireball finished second in the first Southern 500, he had come from 63rd starting position in the 75-car field.
Fireball, Jr Johnson and Dale Ernhardt all had the gotta be in the lead ethic. if the car held together it worked.
Most boys heroes in the sixties were ball players. Mine were Jim Clark and Fireball Roberts. My heart was broken twice.
Well his daughter may have never returned to the Charlotte Motor Speedway, but she did go to an Allman Brothers concert, where I had the pleasure of meeting her. RIP Fireball, So Glad you're in the Hall of Fame. Good video JJ, respectfully done.
R.I.P Fireball Roberts
He was my dads favorite driver going up in Florida. As a kid who grew up loving nascar that meant a lot to me, my dad telling me about him and me showing him in my book. My dad passed a year and half ago and that made it mean even more to me
My father remembers Fireball Roberts in the 60's when he heard about the tragedy on the radio. He was one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR.
One of my favorite NASCAR drivers
My first big race was the World 600 in 1964. I remember this accident well. What a fireball in the backstretch off the second turn. Ironically he passed away on my other fav drivers birthday, Richard Petty. July 2nd. I always thought he was NASCARS first Superstar!!!! I will never forget that day!!!
Glenn "Fireball" Roberts was one of my childhood Nascar heroes. I remember the shock of reading about his crash and seeing the crash pictures in the newspaper. I kept up with his progress in the sports section of the KC newspaper we received and it read as if he was improving and things were looking up. It was so sad to read of the complications and his demise.
Fireball was also the chief designer/architect of my home track, Augusta International Raceway. RIP, Fireball Roberts.
He was my dads favorite driver growing up and he was at the race when the accident happened.
I believe Smokey Yunick said in an interview in the early 90's that the World 600 was to be his last race. Roberts had spoken to Ford and they were going to let him out of his driver contract. If I remember correctly, it was also said that Fireball was fearful something was going to happen to him sooner than later and really didn't want to run the 600 but did so because he gave his word to Ford that he would do so.
My now deceased aunt was fortunate enough to meet him at a gas station while they were vacationing at Daytona Beach in the early 1960s. She always appreciated that he took a few minutes to meet and talk with her.
In 1958 my dad owned a sportsman stock car. He raced all over New York State and won the championship that year. He was invited to race at Daytona International Speedway. His driver went out in warm ups. My dad wasn’t happy the way the car ran. So he asked Fireball if he would take his car out and tell him what was wrong with his car . Fireball made a few laps and came back in . Got out of the car and told my dad there’s nothing wrong with your car it’s your driver
As a 10 year old kid I remember watching Fireball at Riverside Ca, Winston Western 500. As I recall he drove a purple #22 Pontiac. Those were the days, I will never forget Fireball Roberts, the name, the sound of the cars and the smell. When men were MEN!
R.I.P Glenn Fireball Roberts
NASCAR’s first superstar
A few days after his death there was another tragedy at the Indy 500. That was when Dave McDonald and Eddie Sachs were killed as a result of a fiery crash on the second lap.
It wasn't just a fiery crash, it was an inferno -- and what led USAC to start using methanol instead of gasoline.
@@BSNFabricating Also, having the rubber fuel cells in the car to limit fuel from igniting.
@@BSNFabricating That's not true. They did limit fuel capacity though and required fuel cells. Only a few cars ran gas in 1965 including Parnelli Jones who finished second. Actually he was running a blend of fuels.
Eddie Sachs was sponsored by Marathon Oil and they ran a race morning ad in the Indianapolis paper- "I have 5 tanks in my car and they are all full of Marathon gas!" It was the last time Marathon got into car sponsorship. The cars sometimes had over 90 gallons of fuel on race day.
Excellent work. Most of my father’s side of the family is buried in the same cemetery as Joe Weatherly in Norfolk Va. I always make it a point to visit his resting place when I am paying respects to my family.
I grew up right next to the Charlotte airport and spent much time there with my aviator parents. I spent a lot of time at Holman-Moody and used to play in Ned Jerett and Robert's wrecked cars. It was a sad day when Fireball suffered his fatal crash.
Great representative for Aurora's Thunderjet-500 slot cars back in the early 1960's. Seemed like a great guy.
RIP Fireball Roberts 🙏
RIP, Trevor boys, and fireball Roberts
Roberts (NASCAR) and Eddie Sachs (Indy car) dying so close together, both from fire, caused changes in both classes of racing.
"fireball"was a well deserved"nick name"too a great racer and gentleman.🗽👍
One of the best in NASCAR.
I met fireball, Fred Lorenzen, Ned Jarrett at Atlanta Motor Speedway when l was 12 years old!
RIP to one of the best ever
I moved to Daytona 5 yrs after his death. locals, esp. at the track were still singing his praises
His crash brought a whole new meaning to his “Fireball” nickname
Speaking of ironic nick names, Ralph Earnhardt, called ironheart died of a heart attack, Dale Earnhardt called Ironhead died of a head injury. I bet jr. Don't want to be called Iron anything
@@pughoneycutt1986Nope.
Best Nickname Ever. Up there with the Intimidator and Awesome Bill
Thanks for posting this, some really great footage of my first NASCAR hero. He drove under my lucky number 22 and saw him race at Atlanta International Raceway in in 1962, I was six years old and remember standing on the roof of my Dad's friends Ford Country Squire with the fake wood panels.
He lived a few blocks from where I went to school and every now and then me and a couple brothers would ride our bikes over to his house and see if he would play catch with him............ yep we found out why they called him fireball, he held back but he let us have a few stingers. After he died I lost interest in car racing, he was my childhood hero and I was angry. What a tragedy.
NASCAR not having more safety in place is unreal. No window nets, no mandated fire suits, no mandated restraints that I know of, and no standards in general.
Joe Weatherly was my cousin and I wish I could have met him. He and his best friend, Fireball, both died 2 years before I was born.
My dad was there to see that Race in Charlotte when that crash occurred. I was 6 at the time and remembering some years later my speaking that he saw that crash happen. We lived in Greenville, South Carolina and was to young so I stayed with grandma in the country. My dad and as I did some years later went to many Big Racing events like Charlotte, Rockingham, Atlanta, down to dirt tracks at the Greenville Pickens Speedway. I grew up with racing and legends that drove.
I raced a Fireball go kart in the early 60s. It was made with larger diameter/thinner wall chrome-moly tubing. Had a McCulloch Mac8 motor. Still have my first trophy from 1963!
Thank you for putting together these great videos.
Very tragic end. RIP fireball.
I worked for an old guy that was friends with Ralph Moody. When he passed away he took the day off to go to his funeral. I heard all the stories about how he basically invented the modern race engine and in his shop there was hundreds of race engines.
Thank You Dude! All I can say right now...
Glad we are alivve to remember
You do such a great service to explaining the Golden Era. Thanks for the video on the legend of Fireball Roberts. His iconic name tragically had poetic irony. I was 7 when Roberts won the Trenton 500...May 30, 1958. ...imagine 500 laps on one mile oval ! Those were the days!...BTW...that missing piece of guard rail at 9:42 is evidence of the "devil may care" attitude the courageous racers had back in the day!
That's a very hard way to go. In the early 60's I had a girlfriend who's dad owned a local dirt race tack course in West Monroe, Louisiana. We raced cars on Saturday's and motorcycles on Sunday afternoons. I never raced the cars, that was my day to work the ticket booth or drive the water truck between races. On Sunday I raced motorcycles, mostly old Harley Davidsons. I rode them and sometimes they rode me. More than one I ended up in the woods that surrounded the track. I figured out pretty quickly that could be a short career. So I joined the Marine Corps and served 20 years and two combat tours in Vietnam. I became a Calif, cop for 30 years but I still rode motorcycles. RIP Fireball.
Yes, racing was not safe at all in the 60s and 70s. Safety was a joke.
Robert's was always. My hero. God Sped my friend.
The memories of NASCAR the Best of NASCAR RACECARS forever in my heart ❤❤😊😊😊😊🏁🏁🏁🚗😊😊🚗🎮🎮🎮🎮🎮👀👀👀👀👍👍👍🌎🌎🌎🌎🌍🌍🌍🌍🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲
Terrible to have an illustrious carreer cut short . Fireball was a racing pioneer and really realy too bad he didn't live to accompolish his dream to win the 600 (Charlotte?) race. But then he died doing what he loved. I wish I could have minused the pain for him.........😥
He is my hero!!!!!!
Thanks for adding the baseball pitcher‘fireball’ story.
Fireball's parents owned a vacation hotel in Daytona Beach called Cactus Courts. Every Summer for years my Dad would take us there for a couple of weeks. I got to know Fireball well, he was such a super nice guy. One year he had checked the reservations schedule to see when we were coming to stay. When we arrived, he presented me with a Pogo Stick as a gift!
Can you do a video about the Pocono Race way Lightning Strike Incident
at 1:16 the Bonneville hes leaning on was built by the best damn garage in town (Smokie Yunick) and averaged 152.529 mph in the 1962 daytona race - he led 144 of the 200 laps
Tragic and ironic
Well done.
He was my great great great uncle, just learned about him recently
I always knew his name but never knew his story.
Thank you!
Someone that joined the service and sought higher education just doesn't exist today.
Fireball started driving for Smokey Yunick in 1959, not 1961
I really enjoyed your commentary on fire ball. It was to the point and very informative. GOOD JOB!!
I really like your videos & I've been subscribed for a while now.. thanks for the interesting content
Great video
I was that day I was about 5 never for get it horrible seem like it took 10 min,s to put him out..a nightmare.. God bless him 😢n
The basketball trick, was awesome. A great video. I pray he didn't suffer but burns like that. My dad died the Same way.
When I was growing up my sports heros were Johnny Unitas Roy Campania Bob Cousey and Glen Roberts.
He was my favorite when I was a kid! I remember watching the race that fateful day with my dad. I was shocked and so angry when it happened. Particularly when he died. Didn't see that one coming!?
Fireball was my favorite Driver when I was a kid .
My father worked at Young Ford and said fireball would come and do signing on the week before the 600 and he would hang out with the guys drinking some beers and would tell stories about smoky and his cheated up cars. He said fireball was bigger than Dale Earnhardt or Jeff Gordon put together. The first real superstar of nascar.
RIP Earl Anthony.
I became interested in Nascar when I was 9. (1969) I learned of Fireball about a year later. Although I never saw him race, he was always one of my favorite drivers because of what I learned about him. I stopped going to races 20 years ago. Like so many sports, Nascar has just become STUPID.
I was there on May 24, 1964, sitting in the Chrysler grandstand.
I saw him at Daytona A1A Beach track while we stood next to the highway section of Daytona early years
When I was in high school in the mid 60's, Fireball was my guy.
He is my hero.
I was a Fireball fan , my favorite
hi a great video. I was a big fan. I remember when they said he died. I was heart broke. Will you do a video on curtis turner?
He is truly one driver I wish that th was still around!!@
OK setting some things straight. NASCAR had banned fuel calls and REQUIRED stock steel tanks until after Robert's death. Smokey Yunick had built cars with fuel calls but NASCAR would not let them run and Yunick was not racing in NASCAR because of this. He considered it too dangerous and didn't return until fuel calls were allowed.. Also all winning teams were using the ball in the tank trick and NASCAR inspectors were told to ignore it. If you didn't do it you were not competitive.
Missed Robert's trip to France to drive in the LeMans 24 where he was a hit with the fans.
Smokey Yunick visited Fireball after the fire. According to him Roberts was burned worst on his lower torso and had lost his 'male' equipment to the fire. I'm sorry I don't know a better way to say it.
My dad worked on his team. My good friend Speedy Spires walked out of college class to go racing full time. Speedy built his cars early.
What Ned did was hero stuff.
There’s no way he could’ve enlisted in the Army air Corps if he was 21 years old in 1950. Because they Army air Corps did not exist when he was old enough to enlist.
Back when real men raced real cars.
Went up in flames
Currently building a Fireball Roberts 57 Ford Model kit, and this video comes along 😮 may I use some of this footage, will also give credits to you and link to your Channel👊
Cheers🍻🍻🍺🍻 KC 🍻 🇦🇺🤝🇺🇲😊👍😎
I've also subscribed 😊
Fireball an appropriate nickname for him
Great coverage. Everyone cheated with fuel.
What a tragic irony!!
His name has to be the most disturbing piece of irony I've ever seen.
Very Good!... #96 ✝ {7-12-2023}
Yoooo
Thanks, I never heard the whole story.
Don't know what happened there. It disappeared on me...
to finish:
1-July 3, 1959....................Firecracker 250 Qualifying race
2-July 4, 1959....................Firecracker 259
3-February 12,1960..........Daytona 500 Qualifying Race
4-February 12, 1961..........25-mile Race of Champions (Big Bill France had a 25-mile race for previous year race winners.
5-February 24, 1961...........Daytona 500 Qualifying race
6-July 3, 1961.....................1st of 4 Firecracker 250 Qualifying race
7-February 4, 1962............1st of 2 qualifying race
8-February 10, 1962..........Daytona 500 Qualifying race
9-February 16, 1962.........Daytona 500 Qualifying race
10-February 18, 1962........Daytona 500
11-July 3, 1962..................3rd Firecracker 250 Qualifying race
12-July 4, 1962..................Firecracker 250
13-February 10, 1963........1st Daytona 500 Pole Position race (NASCAR used to have the Qualifiers run in a Pole Position Race)
14-July 4, 1963.................Firecracker 400
I might have made a typo in my remarks a short time ago.
Back then the cars were bombs on wheels. It took a special kind of guy to race back then; Fireball was one of them.