The Death of NASCAR Superstar Fireball Roberts

• Glenn "Fireball" Roberts was a NASCAR superstar in the early 1960s.

• Roberts was on Lap 7 of the 1964 World 600 at Charlotte when Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett crashed.

• Roberts tried to avoid the wreckage, but instead he also crashed. The wreck was one of the most horrifying in NASCAR history.

Countless race car drivers have described racing—regardless of the genre—as a drug and habit they just can’t kick.

Such was the case for Edward Glenn Roberts, or better known for his colorful nickname of “Fireball.” The Florida native had agreed in early 1964 to put driving in his rearview mirror and become a full-time public relations representative and brand ambassador for the Falstaff Brewing Company, makers of Falstaff Beer, and was prepared to begin his new career later that same year.

But even after 33 wins, 32 poles, finishing in the top-5 45 percent of the time and the top-10 59 percent of the time in 206 career Grand National starts, Roberts couldn’t say no to getting back behind the wheel one more time, for NASCAR’s longest race of the season, the World 600, on May 24, 1964 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

It would also prove to be Roberts’ final race of his career, with the injuries sustained from a horrific wreck eventually taking his life more than a month later.

Roberts was on Lap 7 when Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett crashed. Roberts tried to avoid the wreckage, but instead he also crashed. The wreck was one of the most horrifying in NASCAR history: his car slid backward into the inside retaining wall, flipped and was quickly engulfed in flames and billowing clouds of black smoke.

According to some witness reports, Roberts screamed from his mangled car, “Ned, help me!” While Jarrett quickly came to his friend’s aid, it was not before Roberts suffered extremely serious second- and third-degree burns.

He was airlifted by helicopter to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Roberts remained in the hospital for more than a month after the incident. While it appeared he was improving, he took a sudden downturn on June 30, contracting pneumonia and sepsis and went into a coma. He sadly passed away three days later on July 2.

Much like Dale Earnhardt’s death prompted NASCAR to impose new safety standards such as the HANS Device and SAFER Barriers subsequently, Roberts’ death prompted NASCAR and other racing series to develop and mandate fire-retardant uniforms and safer fuel cells (aka gas tanks).

Sadly, Roberts’ death came just over three months after the tragic racing death of his good friend, Joe Weatherly, killed in a wreck at Riverside International Raceway in Southern California.

For clarification purposes, the 1962 Daytona 500 winner, who drove for legendary engine builder Smokey Yunick, did not get his colorful nickname of “Fireball” due to his tragic crash in 1964. Rather, he had been a star prep and amateur baseball pitcher in his native Florida who had an overpowering fastball that resulted in the “Fireball” nickname.

Even though he never won a Grand National championship, Roberts was one of the most highly thought of drivers in NASCAR. He was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998, was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1995 and the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2014.

Follow Autoweek correspondent Jerry Bonkowski on Twitter @JerryBonkowski