Photo by Freewheeling Daredevil
1964 “Fireball” Roberts
In 1964, although he was considering retiring at the end of the season, Glenn “Fireball” Roberts was involved in a racing at the World 600. The accident occurred when Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson collided into Roberts on lap seven. The collision caused Roberts’ car to spin and hit an infield safety barrier, which ruptured the gas tank. The car burst into flames and ended up stopping on its roof, with Roberts trapped inside.
This accident was one of the most intense fires which had ever been seen in a race and resulted in the popular driver’s body being covered in second and third degree burns on over 80% of his body. Roberts died five weeks after the crash when he developed pneumonia and blood poisoning. Smokey Yunick petitioned NASCAR to make changes such as including fire-resistant driver suits, using stronger fuel cells rather than stock fuel tanks, and using five-point restraints.
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