The Fireball Roberts Legend and Legacy

Though the original #22 '62... 

   

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Though the original #22 '62 Daytona 500 winner Catalina was destroyed, the hard work of Jimmy Kellett of Laurens, South Carolina, has resulted in this replica.

HPP: Since that time, had you thought about following in your dad's career path-you, Pam Roberts, a professional stock car racer?
PR: Me race? No, I have never considered racing. I wasn't even interested in it until the speedway was built in Daytona and Dad was driving for Jim Stephens. I enjoyed going to Smokey's shop with Dad, if we didn't stay too long.

HPP: What were the most famous words Fireball Roberts ever spoke to you?
PR: I guess the most famous words Dad spoke to me were what I told you about loving racing this much more than Mom and me. Dad had such a great sense of humor, so he was always laughing and saying funny things to make you laugh or feel better. When I would pout as a child, he would try very hard to make me laugh, and most of the time he succeeded. Through the years, Mother and I have always laughed about him doing that.

HPP: We know so much about Fireball Roberts' racing career. What don't we know about the man?
PR: Fireball Roberts loved classical music; his favorite composer was Tchaikovsky. He loved to dance, and he loved pop music. After dinner, while Mother was doing dishes, we would turn on the record player and dance to 45s. Together, we were an awesome "twist" team. We won a locally sponsored dance contest once doing the twist.

HPP: Pam, what are your plans for Fireball Roberts' legacy?
PR: I have been working on a book about Dad's career, and have researched the scrapbooks my mother kept for each year since 1950. But I still have personal things to complete, and I need to get the photos together. I have a Web site, www.fireball22.com, and on behalf of Fireball Roberts, I also attend events that honor the legends of stock car racing and their families.

Fireball Roberts' #22 '62 Catalina Is Reborn
Jimmy and Ann Kellett of Laurens, South Carolina, re-created and own the #22 Fireball Roberts Daytona 500 winner. Says Kellett, "I had to work primarily from the photographs that I found in vintage magazines. Both Fireball Roberts and Smokey Yunick had passed away, and the old black and white car magazines gave me a good reference to look back to.

"Kellett spent three years and over 1,000 man-hours on the re-creation of the #22 race car. He depended heavily upon the help of Dwight Roach of Grey Court, South Carolina, for the bodywork and paint; James Pulley from Grey Court, South Carolina, and Damond Antonio of Cross Hill, South Carolina, for the final assembly of the race car; Billy Prince of Laurens, South Carolina, for the engine building; Mike Osborne of Laurens, South Carolina, for electrical; Tim Timmerman of Clinton, South Carolina, for fabrication, rollbar, and suspension work; Bobby Summeral of Laurens, South Carolina, for upholstery; Chris Saulters of Greenwood, South Carolina, for the lettering; and offers enormous thanks to Doris Roberts and Pam Roberts-Fireball's wife and daughter-for all the support that they have given him since the #22 race car was completed. According to Kellett, the project would be nothing without the support of Fireball Roberts' family.

Jimmy's #22 '62 Catalina features...        read full caption Jimmy's #22 '62 Catalina features ultra-rare, period-correct, NASCAR-only pieces, and the exact paint and decal scheme that Smokey Yunick and Fireball Roberts made famous in the Winner's Circle of the Daytona 500 in 1962.

Jimmy Kellet shows off the...        read full caption Jimmy Kellet shows off the rare NASCAR air cleaner.

Electrical tape wraps the...        read full caption Electrical tape wraps the steering wheel of the #22 '62 Catalina, just like Smokey Yunick did in the early years of the Daytona International Speedway. Smokey also required his cars to run a three-speed manual shift. He hated the four-speeds.

Not a Pontiac engine color?...        read full caption Not a Pontiac engine color? It is if you're Smokey Yunick and you're preparing your Pontiac race car to win the Daytona 500. This is one of the rarest and most sought-after Pontiac engines ever produced-the stump-pulling 421 SD rated at 405 hp. NASCAR mods include two oil breathers on the driver's side and one on the passenger's side, a custom overflow reservoir and the NASCAR hand-built air cleaner.

What are those two strips...        read full caption What are those two strips over the rear glass of the #22 '62 Catalina? NASCAR-mandated safety brackets to prevent the rear glass from flying out at lap speeds of over 150 mph. The stock gas filler on the driver's side quarter-panel was relocated to the tail panel for more rapid fueling at pit stops. A safety cable attaches to the gas cap to keep it from being lost in the heat of battle.