Fireball Roberts’ Journal

NASCAR ARTIFACTS FIREBALL ROBERTS’ JOURNAL

BY BEN WHITE

Glenn “Fireball” Roberts was one of NASCAR’s most iconic drivers throughout the 1950s and early ’60s.

The native of Palatka, Florida, began his NASCAR career on Feb. 5, 1950, at the famed Beach and Road Course in Daytona Beach, Florida. That was nine years before the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway hosted the inaugural Daytona 500.

Roberts was a very popular driver in NASCAR’s premier series when he crashed on lap seven of the World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25, 1964.

Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson were also involved in the accident as Roberts was severely burned after his car hit the inside backstretch wall and caught fire. Roberts remained in critical condition at a Charlotte hospital until his death on July 2, 1964.

Throughout his 13½ -year NASCAR career, Roberts kept a journal of every dollar he made as a race car driver. The gray accounting ledger features his own carefully crafted handwriting, logging his personal list of starts and finishes in every short-track and superspeedway event he entered.

Roberts’ penciled notations spanned 206 NASCAR races with winnings of $316,278 gained through 33 victories, 93 top-five finishes, 122 top-10 results and 32 pole positions.

The only notation in the book left without a final entry came on May 24, the day of Roberts’ terrible crash at Charlotte that sent him directly to the hospital with little hope of survival.

The book detailing locations of races and prize money awarded has been in the Roberts family since his death. In recent years, it had been displayed at the NASCAR Hall of Fame but the very rare heirloom has been returned to its owner and placed in a secure location for safekeeping.

Ken Martin, director of historical content for NASCAR Productions, has contributed to many of the documentaries produced about Roberts’ career.

“Fireball Roberts conducted himself with class, especially with his finances and the way he handled himself in everyday life,” Martin said. “He always dressed well, spoke well and represented himself and the sport as a true professional. Even his driver’s uniforms were sharp, and tailor made with the sleeves and legs tight around his ankles and wrists and featured gold zippers.

“Sadly, having those features contributed in part to the difficulty Ned Jarrett had while getting Fireball’s uniform off when he was on fire after the crash in May 1964. He will always be remembered as one of NASCAR’s greatest competitors.”