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

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

racing driver who was champion of the NASCAR Busch Series (now

Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

) in 1989, and was

posthumous Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ...

ly awarded the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup (now

NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...

) Rookie of the Year award. A promising young driver, he and another driver were killed when Moroso was

driving under the influence Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...

at excessive speeds on roads near his hometown of

Terrell, North Carolina Terrell is a community in Catawba County, North Carolina, United States. For the 2010 census, it was included within the Lake Norman of Catawba CDP. Geography Terrell is located at within area code 828, ZIP code 28682, and FIPS place code 671 ...

. Born in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich (, ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast (Conne ...

, he was the son of

Dick Moroso Richard D. Moroso, commonly called “Dick”, was an American hot rodder, drag racer, and businessman. Moroso grew up in Old Greenwich CT and started selling speed parts out of his family's basement in the early 1960s under the name Speed Assoc ...

, founder of

Moroso Performance Moroso may refer to: * 7724 Moroso, a main-belt asteroid, named after Pascuala Moroso and Rafael Villalobos * Dick Moroso Richard D. Moroso, commonly called “Dick”, was an American hot rodder, drag racer, and businessman. Moroso grew up in O ...

, suppliers of aftermarket automotive parts, and former owner of Moroso Motorsports Park in

Jupiter, Florida Jupiter is the northernmost town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the town had a population of 61,047 as of April 1, 2020. It is 84 miles north of Miami, and the northernmost community in the Miami met ...

Early life

Moroso grew up in

Madison, Connecticut Madison is a town in the southeastern corner of New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, occupying a central location on Connecticut's Long Island Sound shoreline. The population was 17,691 at the 2020 census. Madison was first settled in 16 ...

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. After graduating from high school, Moroso enrolled in courses at

Central Piedmont Community College Central Piedmont Community College (Central Piedmont) is a public community college in Charlotte, North Carolina. With an enrollment of more than 40,000 students annually, Central Piedmont is the second largest community college in the North Caro ...

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, though he failed to complete them. He also attended the

Buck Baker Racing School The Buck Baker Racing School was founded by two time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Buck Baker in 1980. Buck Baker Racing School was the first of its kind. Today, Buck Baker's Seat Time Racing School, still follows the curriculum set by Buck Bak ...

Rockingham Speedway Rockingham Speedway, formerly North Carolina Motor Speedway and later North Carolina Speedway is a racetrack located near Rockingham, North Carolina. It is also known as The Rock and previously hosted NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, ...

Racing career

Busch Series

Moroso made his debut in the

Busch Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

Orange County Speedway Orange County Speedway is a 3/8 mile (0.6 km) asphalt oval in Orange County, North Carolina, near Rougemont. It first opened in 1966 as 1/4 mile (0.4 km) and 5/8 mile (1 km) dirt oval (Trico Speedway), which operate ...

in 1986, two days after his 18th birthday. Driving the No. 23

Old Milwaukee Old Milwaukee is a brand of American dry lager owned by the Pabst Brewing Company and consists of four different brews—Old Milwaukee Lager, Old Milwaukee Light, Old Milwaukee Non-Alcoholic, and Old Milwaukee Ice. Old Milwaukee is brewed throug ...

Chevrolet, he qualified an impressive sixth, but finished 21st after suspension issues. He made his second start of the season in

Rick Hendrick Joseph Riddick "Rick" Hendrick III (born July 12, 1949), nicknamed "Mr. H", is an American businessman. He is best known as the owner of the NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports. He is also a co-owner of JR Motorsports and founder of the Hendrick Au ...

's No. 15 Chevrolet at

, finishing 18th. Moroso began running full-time in 1987, driving the No. 25

Oldsmobile Oldsmobile or formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produ ...

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. 1988 was a breakout season for Moroso. He won his first career race in July 1988 at

Myrtle Beach Speedway Myrtle Beach Speedway (originally named Rambi Raceway), was built in 1958 and was located on U.S. Route 501 near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The speedway was a semi-banked asphalt oval track that spans .The NASCAR Cup Series competed at the Sp ...

, at the age of 19, after out-dueling defending series champion

Larry Pearson Larry Pearson (born November 2, 1953) is an American former stock car racing driver and the son of three-time Winston Cup champion David Pearson. He won the Busch Series championship in 1986 and 1987, but struggled during his brief tenure in Wins ...

. He would score his second win of the season at

, and finished second in the final Busch series points to

Tommy Ellis Tommy Ellis (born August 8, 1947) is an American former stock car racing driver who competed in the 1970s and 1980s. Often referred to as "Terrible" Tommy Ellis for his rough tactics, he won the last national late model sportsman championship in 1 ...

. In 1989, Moroso was vying with veteran driver Tommy Houston for the championship in the final race of the year, at

Martinsville Speedway Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing short track in Ridgeway, Virginia, just south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in s ...

. 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. Moroso won a total of six races from 1988 to 1989, including 3 consecutive at

Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009) is a motorsport complex located in Concord, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including th ...

, and was voted the most popular driver on the circuit.

Winston Cup Series

Moroso made his debut in Winston Cup in 1988 at

in the No. 47 Peak Antifreeze Chevrolet for

Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) is an American professional auto racing organization that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 1984 as All Star Racing by Rick Hendrick. Hendrick Motorsports has won a NASCAR-record 291 Cup Seri ...

, finishing 14th. 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 Crown Central Petroleum, commonly known as Crown, is an American oil company that has flourished in Baltimore since the early 20th century until its recent decline due to rebranding. History Crown Central Petroleum Company or Crown, first began ...

for his father. The highlight of the season was a ninth-place finish in the

Pepsi Firecracker 400 The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is an annual NASCAR Cup Series stock car race at Daytona International Speedway. First held in 1959, the event consists of 160 laps, , and is the second of two major stock car events held at Daytona on the Cup Series ci ...

Daytona Daytona refers to the city of Daytona Beach, Florida, or things named after it. Daytona may also refer to: Locations * Daytona Beach Shores, Florida * South Daytona, Florida * The Daytona Beach metropolitan area * Halifax area, also known as Da ...

. 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 North Carolina Highway 150 (NC 150) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It serves the Foothills and Piedmont Triad areas of the state, connecting the cities of Shelby, Mooresville, Salisbury and Winston-Salem. ...

near

Mooresville, North Carolina Mooresville is a large town located in the southwestern section of Iredell County, North Carolina, United States, and is a part of the fast-growing Charlotte metropolitan area. The population was 50,193 at the 2020 United States Census making it ...

only hours after finishing 21st in the Holly Farms 400 at

North Wilkesboro Speedway North Wilkesboro Speedway is a short oval racetrack located on U.S. Route 421, about east of the town of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, or 80 miles north of Charlotte. It measures and features a unique uphill backstretch and downhill fr ...

. Traveling at an estimated , Moroso lost control of his vehicle in a curve with a 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. The passenger in Moroso's vehicle, girlfriend Debbie Bryant, as well as a passenger in Williams' vehicle both survived with injuries. Investigations revealed that he had been

of alcohol. Moroso had been seen drinking several beers at a

Cornelius, North Carolina Cornelius is a suburban town located along Lake Norman in northern Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States. It is a major suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The population was 24,866 at the 2010 census. History Potts Plantation i ...

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. 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. Judges could have revoked his license at least twice but the charges were reduced. Moroso earned enough points after completing just 25 of 29 races that he was awarded the Raybestos

NASCAR Rookie of the Year The NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award is presented to the first-year driver that has the best season in a NASCAR season. Each of NASCAR's national and regional touring series selects a RotY winner each year. History of the Award The Rookie of the Y ...

Award in 1990, the only driver to ever receive the award posthumously.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

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

Winston Cup Series

=Daytona 500

Busch Series

Busch North Series

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moroso, Rob 1968 births 1990 deaths People from Madison, Connecticut Racing drivers from Connecticut NASCAR drivers NASCAR Xfinity Series champions ISCARS Dash Touring Series drivers Road incident deaths in North Carolina Sportspeople from Greenwich, Connecticut Hendrick Motorsports drivers