Glenn Fireball Roberts

Glenn Fireball Roberts acquired his nickname as a sandlot baseball player before he pitched two years for the University of Florida baseball team. Roberts became one of the most successful NASCAR drivers and one of its most popular stars. He began driving in the 1950s and met a tragic end when he died from severe burns he received at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 1964. Roberts was mercurial, articulate, and according to car builder Smokey Yunick, also a womanizer. Fireball won many Grand National and Convertible Division races on the NASCAR circuit. Among his most well known wins were the Firecracker 400 at Daytona and the Southern 500 classic at Darlington.