Robert James Moroso (September 26, 1968 – September 30, 1990) was a NASCAR racing driver who was champion of the NASCAR Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) in 1989,[2] and was posthumously awarded the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup (now NASCAR Cup Series) Rookie of the Year award. A promising young driver, he and another driver were killed when Moroso was driving under the influence at excessive speeds on roads near his hometown of Terrell, North Carolina.[2][3]
| Rob Moroso | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | September 26, 1968 Madison, Connecticut, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | September 30, 1990 (aged 22) Near Mooresville, North Carolina, U.S.[1] | ||||||
| Cause of death | Highway automobile crash | ||||||
| Achievements | 1989 NASCAR Busch Series champion | ||||||
| Awards | 1989 Busch Series Most Popular Driver 1990 Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year (posthumously) | ||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 29 races run over 3 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 30th (1990) | ||||||
| First race | 1988 Oakwood Homes 500 (Charlotte) | ||||||
| Last race | 1990 Tyson Holly Farms 400 (North Wilkesboro) | ||||||
| |||||||
| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 86 races run over 4 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 1st (1989) | ||||||
| First race | 1986 Roses Stores 150 (Rougemont) | ||||||
| Last race | 1989 Winston Classic (Martinsville) | ||||||
| First win | 1988 Myrtle Beach 200 (Myrtle Beach) | ||||||
| Last win | 1989 All Pro 300 (Charlotte) | ||||||
| |||||||
| Statistics current as of March 4, 2012. | |||||||
Born in Greenwich, Connecticut, he was the son of Dick Moroso,[4] founder of Moroso Performance, suppliers of aftermarket automotive parts, and former owner of Moroso Motorsports Park in Jupiter, Florida.[5]
Early life
editMoroso grew up in Madison, Connecticut, with two other siblings, Rick and Susan. His father was Richard D. "Dick" Moroso, who served as owner and sponsor for much of the younger Moroso's racing career.[6][7]
After graduating from high school, Moroso enrolled in courses at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina, though he failed to complete them. He also attended the Buck Baker Racing School at Rockingham Speedway.[6]
Racing career
editBusch Series
editMoroso made his debut in the Busch Series at Orange County Speedway in North Carolina in 1986, two days after his 18th birthday. Driving the No. 23 Old Milwaukee Chevrolet, he qualified an impressive sixth, but finished 21st after suspension issues.[3][8] He made his second start of the season in Rick Hendrick's No. 15 Chevrolet at Rockingham Speedway, finishing 18th.[3][8] Moroso began running full-time in 1987, driving the No. 25 Oldsmobile owned by his father and sponsored by Moroso Performance. Moroso ran 25 of 27 races that season, with eight top tens and a 15th-place points finish.[3] 1988 was a breakout season for Moroso.[8][3] He won his first career race in July 1988 at Myrtle Beach Speedway, at the age of 19, after out-dueling defending series champion Larry Pearson.[3][4][8] He would score his second win of the season at Charlotte, and finished second in the final Busch series points to Tommy Ellis.[8]
In 1989, Moroso was vying with veteran driver Tommy Houston for the championship in the final race of the year, at Martinsville Speedway. Houston's engine failed during the race, while Moroso finished third and won the title by 55 points over Houston. At the time Moroso was the youngest champion in the history of NASCAR.[4][8] Moroso won a total of six races from 1988 to 1989, including 3 consecutive at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and was voted the most popular driver on the circuit.[4]
Winston Cup Series
edit
Moroso made his debut in Winston Cup in 1988 at Charlotte in the No. 47 Peak Antifreeze Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, finishing 14th.[8] He would race one more time in 1988 and ran two races in 1989 as a warm up for the following season. Moroso declared he was running for Rookie of the Year in the 1990 season, driving the No. 20 Crown Central Petroleum Oldsmobile for his father.[8] The highlight of the season was a ninth-place finish in the Pepsi Firecracker 400 at Daytona.[8] Other than that, Moroso posted no wins, no top 5's, and only 1 top 10 and DNF'd in 15 races.
Death
editOn September 30, 1990, four days after his 22nd birthday, Moroso was killed in an automobile crash on North Carolina Highway 150 near Mooresville, North Carolina, only hours after finishing 21st in the Holly Farms 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Traveling at an estimated 75 mph (121 km/h), Moroso lost control of his vehicle in a curve with a 35 mph (56 km/h) posted speed limit, skidding over 200 feet before being struck in the driver's side door by an oncoming car in the opposite lane. The resulting collision killed both Moroso and Tammy Williams, a 27-year-old nursing assistant, wife and mother who was driving in the opposite lane.[9] The passenger in Moroso's vehicle, girlfriend Debbie Bryant, as well as a passenger in Williams' vehicle both survived with injuries.[8][9][2][10]
Investigations revealed that he had been driving under the influence of alcohol. Moroso had been seen drinking several beers at a Cornelius, North Carolina, lounge prior to the crash, and his blood alcohol level was found to be 0.22, over twice the then legal level of 0.10.[9][11][12] He also had been convicted of speeding four times between 1987 and 1989, and had been involved in two prior highway crashes which included a rollover.[9][11] Judges could have revoked his license at least twice but the charges were reduced.[11][13]
Moroso earned enough points after completing just 25 of 29 races that he was awarded the Raybestos NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award in 1990, the only driver to ever receive the award posthumously.[3][8]
Motorsports career results
editNASCAR
edit(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Winston Cup Series
edit| NASCAR Winston Cup Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | NWCC | Pts | Ref | |||||||||
| 1988 | Hendrick Motorsports | 47 | Chevy | DAY | RCH | CAR | ATL | DAR | BRI | NWS | MAR | TAL | CLT | DOV | RSD | POC | MCH | DAY | POC | TAL | GLN | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | MAR | CLT 14 |
54th | 191 | [14] | |||||||||||||
| Moroso Racing | 22 | Olds | NWS 31 |
CAR | PHO | ATL | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989 | DAY | CAR | ATL | RCH | DAR | BRI | NWS | MAR | TAL | CLT | DOV | SON | POC | MCH | DAY | POC | TAL | GLN | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV 28 |
MAR | CLT | NWS | CAR | PHO | ATL 34 |
63rd | 140 | [15] | ||||||||||||
| 1990 | 20 | DAY 38 |
RCH 15 |
CAR 30 |
ATL 33 |
DAR 26 |
BRI 30 |
NWS 32 |
MAR 13 |
TAL 37 |
CLT 26 |
DOV 29 |
SON 42 |
POC 36 |
MCH 16 |
DAY 9 |
POC 32 |
TAL 12 |
GLN 13 |
MCH 26 |
BRI 30 |
DAR 13 |
RCH 28 |
DOV 28 |
MAR 21 |
NWS 21 |
CLT | CAR | PHO | ATL | 30th | 2184 | [16] | |||||||||||
Daytona 500
edit| Year | Team | Manufacturer | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 36 | 38 |
Busch Series
edit| NASCAR Busch Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | NBSC | Pts | Ref | ||||
| 1986 | 23 | Olds | DAY | CAR | HCY | MAR | BRI | DAR | SBO | LGY | JFC | DOV | CLT | SBO | HCY | ROU | IRP | SBO | RAL | OXF | SBO | HCY | LGY | ROU | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | MAR | ROU 21 |
CLT | 59th | 209 | [17] | |||||||
| Hendrick Motorsports | 15 | Olds | CAR 18 |
MAR | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987 | Moroso Racing | 25 | Olds | DAY 15 |
HCY | MAR 28 |
DAR 16 |
BRI 30 |
LGY 19 |
SBO 8 |
CLT 28 |
DOV | IRP 5 |
ROU 8 |
JFC 15 |
OXF 5 |
SBO 13 |
HCY 16 |
RAL 21 |
LGY 13 |
ROU 13 |
BRI 7 |
JFC 22 |
DAR 36 |
RCH 11 |
DOV 9 |
MAR 6 |
CLT 7 |
CAR 12 |
MAR 24 |
15th | 2949 | [18] | ||||||||
| 1988 | DAY 9 |
HCY 10 |
CAR 22 |
MAR 3 |
DAR 6 |
BRI 4 |
LNG 13 |
NZH 2* |
SBO 7 |
NSV 16 |
CLT 4 |
DOV 12 |
ROU 4 |
LAN 18 |
LVL 20 |
MYB 1 |
OXF 40 |
SBO 13* |
HCY 9 |
LNG 6 |
IRP 33 |
ROU 3 |
BRI 27 |
DAR 8 |
RCH 3 |
DOV 34 |
MAR 10 |
CLT 1 |
CAR 11 |
MAR 2 |
2nd | 3986 | [19] | ||||||||
| 1989 | DAY 3* |
CAR 1 |
MAR 23 |
HCY 3 |
DAR 9 |
BRI 6 |
NZH 22 |
SBO 4 |
LAN 2 |
NSV 18 |
CLT 1 |
DOV 17 |
ROU 20 |
LVL 9 |
VOL 1* |
MYB 7* |
SBO 5 |
HCY 28 |
DUB 13 |
IRP 14 |
ROU 16 |
BRI 22 |
DAR 12 |
RCH 4 |
DOV 23 |
MAR 2 |
CLT 1 |
CAR 12 |
MAR 3 |
1st | 4001 | [20] | |||||||||
Busch North Series
edit| NASCAR Busch North Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | NBNC | Pts | Ref |
| 1987 | n/a | n/a | n/a | OXF
16 |
n/a | n/a | [21] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ Associated Press (October 2, 1990). "Rob Moroso, Stock Car Driver, 22". The New York Times. Mooresville, North Carolina. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
- ^ a b c "Obituaries: Rob Moroso, Stock Car Driver, 22". New York Times. October 2, 1990. Retrieved 2013-08-23.
- ^ a b c d e f g SM Staff (November 4, 2010). "The Original 'Sliced Bread', Remembering Rob Moroso". speedwaymedia.com. speedwaymedia.com, USA Today. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Through The Lens: Rob Moroso". National Speed Sport News. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
- ^ Lazzarino, Chris. "Nascar Driver Moroso Is Killed In Highway Crash". sun-sentinel.com. Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on January 10, 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
- ^ a b Purkey, Mike (February 25, 1990). "Stock Car Racing's Next King?: Only 21, 'Crown Prince' Rob Moroso Gets Big Buildup". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune, Knight Ridder Newspapers. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
- ^ "Automotive Entrepreneur Dick Moroso Succumbs to Cancer". Dragracecentral.com. Guilford, Connecticut: Autosales, Inc. November 9, 1998. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Sharp, Seth (October 8, 2014). "Remember When: Rob Moroso". popularspeed.com. Popular Speed. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
- ^ a b c d Pearce, Al (October 4, 1990). "Moroso Tragedy The End Result Of Reckless Record". dailypress.com. Daily Press. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
- ^ Glick, Shav (October 2, 1990). "NASCAR Driver Moroso Dies in Crash on Highway". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
- ^ a b c Cross, Duane (November 14, 2005). "Cross' Words: Phoenix". NASCAR. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
- ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: AUTO RACING; Concern Over Image". New York Times. October 5, 1990. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
- ^ Dame, Mike (October 4, 1990). "Moroso Had Flirted With Death: Blood-alcohol Level Is Measured At .22". orlandosentinal.com. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
- ^ "Rob Moroso – 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
- ^ "Rob Moroso – 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
- ^ "Rob Moroso – 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
- ^ "Rob Moroso – 1986 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
- ^ "Rob Moroso – 1987 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
- ^ "Rob Moroso – 1988 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
- ^ "Rob Moroso – 1989 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
- ^ "Driver Rob Moroso 1987 NASCAR Busch North Series Results - Racing-Reference.info". www.racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
External links
edit- Rob Moroso driver statistics at Racing-Reference