Fireball Roberts

Glenn Roberts -- known to the world as Fireball -- was the first true superstar of NASCAR's superspeedway era. Before his career was cut short by a fiery crash at Charlotte in 1964, Roberts had established himself as the fastest, most electrifying driver in the sport, a man whose skill at Daytona International Speedway bordered on the supernatural. Roberts won the Daytona 500 in 1962 and was the dominant force at the newly opened superspeedway, where his mechanical sympathy and raw courage combined to produce performances that left the competition wondering how to keep up. His nickname, earned not from crashes but from his blazing fastball as a semi-professional baseball pitcher, perfectly suited a driver whose speed on the racetrack was equally incendiary. The Jacksonville, Florida native brought a movie-star charisma to a sport still searching for mainstream recognition, and his presence helped draw attention and legitimacy to NASCAR during a critical period of its growth. Roberts suffered fatal burns in a crash at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 24, 1964, and died six weeks later at age 35. His death, along with the loss of Joe Weatherly earlier that year, galvanized the sport's approach to safety. Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2014, Fireball Roberts remains one of the most legendary and beloved figures in the sport's history.

Written by Richard R. Glover, NASCAR Reference