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The Famous Lee Petty Protest After Fireball's 1962 Daytona 500 Victory

NEW! INCREDIBLE PHOTO GALLERY

The Early Years 1948  - 1955

The Middle Years  1955 -1959

The Superspeedway Later Years 1960 - 1964

NEW! Rare Photos

Glenn & Bob Reuther were good friends. Bob was gassing up the
plane to go visit Glenn in the hospital when he got the bad news.

 Victory Lane

L-R: Patricia Ann Teel, Miss Pontiac; Miss Autolite is Cinda H. Pike. She lived in Ormond Beach, Florida and was also Miss Volusia County and Miss Ormond Beach at that time. She was 16 years old. The lady to Fireball's left, picture's right, in the dark suit holding the trophy is Mary Ann Mobley, Miss America.
 

           
Miss Autolite is Cinda Pike

Tiny Lund (far left), Fireball in the shades

WINNER! 1962 Daytona July Firecracker 250

Banjo Mathews super tuning Fireball's Pontiac

Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the fall of 1961 when a pair of Nichels Engineering Pontiac Police
Enforcers set several stock car records, including an average of 107.787 mph for 24 hours. 
The drivers pictured are Joe Weatherly, Len Sutton, Marvin Panch, Rodger Ward, Fireball Roberts, and Paul Goldsmith.

Picture taken at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the fall of 1961 when a pair of Nichels Engineering Pontiac
Police Enforcers set several stock car records, including an average of 107.787 mph for 24 hours.  
The drivers in this picture are Fireball Roberts, Marvin Panch and Joe Weatherly. 

From a Fireball fan, Son Mike Hogan: My dad and Fireball Roberts at Martinsville April,1964

My dad and Fireball Roberts doing Hot Laps at Atlanta 1964

Ralph Moody (L) of Holman & Moody conferring with Fred Lorenzen and Fireball (thanks to Bart Maher)

Winner 1963 Daytona Firecracker 400 (First year of 400 - was 250 miler) From Mike A.

1963 Firecracker 400 - #28 Lorenzen - #22 Roberts - #21 Marvin Panch (from Mike A.)

After July 4th, 1963 Firecracker 400 - That's Roland Via in the white T-shirt at age 13 (one week before birthday)
Glenn was accepting a cigarette from fan. I was frozen in awe...........

Picture from the Augusta Chronicle Sept '04
Augusta International Raceway - Nov. 17, 1963
Click Here for Augusta International Raceway Website

Banjo Mathews Pontiac with Fireball winning the 1962 Firecracker 250

  
Darlington

This is a reprint of a certificate presented to Buick Motor Division Management in 1960 certifying a major 1960 Buick Endurance Test. A standard 1960 Buick Invicta was taken off the assembly line and taken to the Daytona International Speedway. Equipped with special tires and exhausts the car drove day and night, refueling on the go for 10,000 miles without stopping. The car averaged 120.186 MPH. The car set over 10 endurance records for the time. Day and Night drivers included Larry Flynn, Larry Frank, Bobby Johns, Tiny Lund, Ralph Moody, Marvin Panch, and Fireball Roberts. Their names are on the certificate. Buick had hoped to pull off one of the marketing home runs for the year. Unfortunately, General Motors did not allow Buick to advertise this incredible feat because it indicated speed which was a no-no during this time of GM history. This reprint of the original certificate has been in my personal collection since 1960 and I am not aware of other certificates. There is some shelf wear to the frame and some slight discoloration to the certificate itself, however overall this has to be classified as being in excellent condition. This is a very rare piece of Buick Nascar history and should be preserved by a serious collector. It is signed by Bill France, Sr. who was then President of NASCAR.

PHOTO BEFORE THE START OF THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS IN 1962.
THE CAR #17 IS THE GTO FERRARI OF GROSSMAN/FIREBALL ROBERTS, ENTERED BY THE N.A.R.T. AND FINISHING 6TH OVERALL.
THE CAR # 1 IS THE CORVETTE CHEVROLET OF SETTEMBER/TURNER.
THE NOSE OF THE CAR # 60 IS THE ONE OF AN AC BRISTOL OF MAGNE/MARTIN.

The Fireball Isn’t Sweating Petty Protest

Wednesday, February 21, 1962

The only thing troubling Fireball Glenn Roberts yesterday was after effects from a quick attack of the “flu” which struck him a few hours after his record smashing victory in the Daytona 500 Sunday.

Lounging around his home on North Peninsula Drive, Roberts said he went to bed with “chills and a 102 temperature” early Monday morning.

He was feeling fine, thank you, in the race and didn’t begin getting chills until around midnight Sunday.

The home pro is unworried about the protest lodges against his victory.

“We never had more than six men from our pit crew over the pit wall working on the car on a pit stop, “said Roberts. “Pictures of out pit stops will vouch for that. So will Smokey.”

“Smokey” is Henry Yunick, chief mechanic for Roberts’ wining 1962 Pontiac. Yunick submitted a notarized statement to NASCAR officials that he never had more than six pit men over the wall.

The protest was lodges by Lee Petty, Randleman, N. C., who claimed there were more than six pit men over the wall and working on Roberts’ car. NASCAR allows a maximum of six.

 Lee Petty’s son, Richard, finished 27 seconds behind Roberts in second place. He drove a 1962 Plymouth.

The NASCAR Commission is to announce a decision on the protest today, and signs continue to mount it will be disallowed.

“I’m not worried,” said Fireball.

He averaged a World record 152.529 mph for the 200 laps last Sunday at Daytona International Speedway.

As soon as the protest is cleared, Roberts and Yunick will collect their share of the prize purse: $27, 350.

“Smokey’s agreement with me calls for us to split it 50-50,” said Fireball.

It was the last stock car race of 1962, at least, for Daytonan Yunick. He announced his withdrawal from the stock car field.

“I’m still trying to make up my mind about making a new connection with another chief mechanic for the remainder of the racing year,” said Roberts. “I’ve got two good offers I’m considering.

Fireball said his next outing will be the Atlanta 500 on March 25. Right now, all he says that he’ll drive a 1962 Pontiac, but he doesn’t know which chief mech he’ll team up with yet.

One of the last pictures of 1964......

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