NASCAR blossomed in the decades following World War Two, and produced many legendary drivers. Joe Weatherly, Glen "Fireball" Roberts and Tiny Lund fell into this category. They all died as a result of NASCAR crashes during an era when safety standards were relatively primitive.
NASCAR Legend Joe Weatherly
Joe Weatherly was a popular and charismatic figure in NASCAR throughout the 1950s and early 1960s. Despite being a keen joker Weatherly was well liked, reflected by him winning NASCAR's Most Popular Driver award.
On track Weatherly was a fearsome competitor. Having won several motorcycle racing titles in the years after World War Two Weatherly switched to four wheels during the early fifties. After sporadic appearances he eventually became a NASCAR regular towards the end of the decade, scoring his maiden victory in 1958. More wins followed, including nine in 1961 when he finished the season fourth overall.
Weatherly, aged 41, died at Riverside on January 19th, 1964. His Mercury ran wide at turn six and slammed into a retaining wall. Weatherly's head also made contact with the wall, inflicting fatal injuries. His habit of not wearing a shoulder restraining strap may have contributed to the seriousness of the accident. Weatherly is still remembered today, having been inducted into both motorcycle and motor racing Halls of Fame. His reputation for being a joker lives on even after his death. Weatherly's headstone is in the shape of the Riverside circuit, with the point of his fatal crash marked by crossed chequered flags.
Glen "Fireball" Roberts
Glen Roberts was the Stirling Moss of NASCAR racing. He was blessed with prodigious talent yet never managed to win the title during a 16 year career which produced 33 wins. Roberts, a Florida native, acquired the nickname "Fireball" during his baseball playing days and it stuck throughout his racing career.
Roberts was one of NASCAR's earliest stars, having competed in races on Daytona Beach as far back as 1948. In1962 he won the prestigious Daytona 500 on the new high banked super speedway. By the time of the 1964 World 600 at Charlotte he was one of NASCAR's elder statesmen, but still highly competitive.
During that race he could not avoid becoming involved in an accident between Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson. In the resulting carnage Roberts' number 22 Ford Galaxie caught fire with the driver trapped inside. Roberts was eventually freed but had suffered terrible burns, to which he succumbed after complications set in over a month later.
Since his death Roberts has been posthumously awarded with many honours. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and named as one of the 50 greatest Florida sports figures.
Daytona 500 Winner Tiny Lund
DeWayne Louis Lund was an imposing figure, and was ironically known by the nickname "Tiny." He is best remembered for his remarkable win in the 1963 Daytona 500. After years of struggling in NASCAR Lund secured a top drive with the Wood Brothers team after regular driver Marvin Panch was seriously injured testing a sports car. It was Lund who dived into the burning car and hauled his friend Panch to safety. This selfless act earned him the Carnegie Medal of Honor.
Panch suggested that Lund drove in his place at Daytona and he took full advantage of the opportunity. Driving conservatively on a daring fuel strategy Lund won the biggest race in NASCAR, at a time when his career looked to be on a downward spiral.
Over the next decade Lund continued to race in NASCAR with some success, until a fatal accident at Talladega in 1975 ended his life aged 45. Lund collided with J.D. McDuffie and was then struck by Terry Link's Pontiac. Fellow driver Walter Ballard, along with two spectating Vietnam veterans, managed to save Link's life. Unfortunately, Lund could not be helped. McDuffie died in a NASCAR crash at Watkins Glen in 1991.
Lund was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and named as one of the top 50 drivers in NASCAR history. Today, there is a grandstand named in his memory at Daytona Speedway.
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