Rob Moroso

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Rob Moroso
Born(1968-09-26)September 26, 1968
Oakwood Homes 500 (Charlotte)
Last race1990 Tyson Holly Farms 400 (North Wilkesboro)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 1 0
All Pro 300 (Charlotte
)
Wins Top tens Poles
6 42 9
Statistics current as of March 4, 2012.

Robert James Moroso (September 26, 1968  – September 30, 1990) was a

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]

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

Moroso 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

Buck Baker Racing School at Rockingham Speedway.[6]

Racing career

Busch Series

Moroso 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

Charlotte Motor Speedway, and was voted the most popular driver on the circuit.[4]

Winston Cup Series

Moroso's 1990 Crown Oldsmobile on display at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame

Moroso made his debut in Winston Cup in 1988 at

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

On 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

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series

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
Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish
1990 Moroso Racing Oldsmobile 36 38

Busch Series

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

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

  1. ^ Associated Press (October 2, 1990). "Rob Moroso, Stock Car Driver, 22". The New York Times. Mooresville, North Carolina. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  2. ^
    New York Times
    . October 2, 1990. Retrieved 2013-08-23.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^
    National Speed Sport News. Archived from the original
    on December 7, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  5. Sun-Sentinel
    . Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "Automotive Entrepreneur Dick Moroso Succumbs to Cancer". Dragracecentral.com. Guilford, Connecticut: Autosales, Inc. November 9, 1998. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Glick, Shav (October 2, 1990). "NASCAR Driver Moroso Dies in Crash on Highway". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  11. ^ a b c Cross, Duane (November 14, 2005). "Cross' Words: Phoenix". NASCAR. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  12. New York Times
    . October 5, 1990. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ "Rob Moroso – 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  15. ^ "Rob Moroso – 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  16. ^ "Rob Moroso – 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  17. ^ "Rob Moroso – 1986 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  18. ^ "Rob Moroso – 1987 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  19. ^ "Rob Moroso – 1988 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  20. ^ "Rob Moroso – 1989 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  21. ^ "Driver Rob Moroso 1987 NASCAR Busch North Series Results - Racing-Reference.info". www.racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2021-04-11.

External links

Preceded by NASCAR Rookie of the Year
1990 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
NASCAR Busch Series Champion

1989 		Succeeded by
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