Edward Glenn " Fireball " Roberts Jr. (January 20, 1929 – July 2, 1964) was an American stock car racer. Roberts was born in Tavares, Florida, and raised in Apopka, Florida, where he was interested in both auto racing and baseball.

Dec 30, 2022 · Glenn "Fireball" Roberts was a NASCAR superstar in the early 1960s. Roberts was on Lap 7 of the 1964 World 600 at Charlotte when Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett crashed. Roberts tried...

Nov 1, 2007 · Edward Glenn "Fireball" Roberts began racing professionally on May 18, 1947 at North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, and blew an engine. His first victory came August 13, 1950,...

Nov 19, 2020 · In 1964, the horrifying crash of driver Glenn "Fireball" Roberts set off a wave of safety measures that affect NASCAR to this day.

Fireball Roberts was a star on and off the track. During his career, Roberts often came up big in the biggest events, winning the Daytona 500 in 1962 and the Southern 500 in 1958 and 1963. Overall, he won seven races at Daytona International Speedway, starting with the Firecracker 250 in the summer of 1959—the year the speedway opened.

That's when the big handsome man ceased being laid-back, fun-loving Glenn Roberts. Instead, he was suddenly "Fireball," one of NASCAR's greatest-ever and best-loved heroes, the man who did for his sport what Arnold Palmer and Babe Ruth did for theirs.

Nov 29, 2022 · Known simply as Fireball Roberts during his career, the Florida native was a massive fan favorite throughout the 1950s and 1960s. His untimely death at the 1964 World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway devastated fans but also eventually led to two important safety implementations that changed NASCAR for the better.

Nov 23, 2021 · Roberts picked up the Fireball moniker as a teenager when a baseball teammate caught one of his pitches and excitedly proclaimed it a “fireball.” The name stuck. Soon, it would be stitched...

Nov 16, 2020 · In a career cut tragically short, Roberts won 33 premier series races in 207 starts, including seven at his hometown track, Daytona International Speedway. But his final victory was one of the most unusual.

May 24, 2021 · After winning three races for his new car owners in 1963 and into 1964, the racing world had to bid farewell to Fireball Roberts. It happened at the World 600 in Charlotte, when Junior Johnson struck the rear of Ned Jarrett’s Ford, sending Ned’s car into Fireball’s, which in turn hit the wall and burst into flames.