Joseph Joe Weatherly fatal crash at Riverside Speedway (19 January 1964) NASCAR
- 6 years ago
Joseph Herbert "Joe" Weatherly (May 29, 1922 – January 19, 1964) was an American stock car racing driver. Weatherly was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2009 after winning NASCAR's Grand National (now Sprint Cup Series) championships in 1962 and 1963, three AMA Grand National Championships, and two NASCAR Modified championships. Joe was on track to become the first driver to win three titles in a row until his tragic accident in a race at Riverside Speedway in California in the fifth race of the season.
Weatherly he died from head injuries sustained in a racing accident at the fifth race of the 1964 season at Riverside International Raceway. His head went outside the car and struck a retaining wall, killing him instantly. Weatherly was not wearing a shoulder harness because he was afraid of being trapped in a burning car.
While competing in the #8 Bud Moore owned Mercury, Weatherly slid off track with what is thought to have been braking failure due to a blown engine and oil. Driver side window nets had not been introduced at that time. Weatherly’s head whipped out of the driver’s window striking the retaining wall and killed him instantly. Weatherly's fatal injuries were blamed on his lap belt. In 1964, NASCAR drivers had the option of a shoulder harness, similar to those of today, or a simple lap belt.
Just a day before he died, Weatherly told The Associated Press he preferred only a lap belt. He said he would "rather flap around in there." "I move around so much," he said. "I'd rather have the freedom of a seat belt."
NASCAR took away that freedom the following year, insisting drivers wear some sort of harness restraint. Because Weatherly's car offered no protection at the driver's side window, NASCAR started looking at ways to keep a driver in the car during an accident. The sanctioning body developed window webbing, which was introduced in 1971 and is still used today.
He died at 41 years of age. Weatherly was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery on Granby Street in Norfolk, Virginia. His headstone depicts a replica of Riverside Speedway with an "X" marking the location where Weatherly's wreck took place.
A hard competitor and loveable clown who seemed to speak in a rapid, staccato shorthand, Joe enjoyed life and excelled in every form of racing he tried. He left the sport a true champion.
He is one of two reigning champions of what is now known as the Sprint Cup Series to die during a season as the defending champion (1992 Winston Cup champion Alan Kulwicki, who died in a plane crash during the 1993 season, is the other) and the only one of the two to die during a race.
Weatherly's fatal crash, combined with Richard Petty's crash at Darlington in 1970, eventually led NASCAR to mandate the window net seven years later in 1971. Window nets are used in most stockcar racing series to this day.
Weatherly's grave marker is a sculpture of Riverside Raceway, a checkered flag marking the spot of his fatal crash.
Weatherly he died from head injuries sustained in a racing accident at the fifth race of the 1964 season at Riverside International Raceway. His head went outside the car and struck a retaining wall, killing him instantly. Weatherly was not wearing a shoulder harness because he was afraid of being trapped in a burning car.
While competing in the #8 Bud Moore owned Mercury, Weatherly slid off track with what is thought to have been braking failure due to a blown engine and oil. Driver side window nets had not been introduced at that time. Weatherly’s head whipped out of the driver’s window striking the retaining wall and killed him instantly. Weatherly's fatal injuries were blamed on his lap belt. In 1964, NASCAR drivers had the option of a shoulder harness, similar to those of today, or a simple lap belt.
Just a day before he died, Weatherly told The Associated Press he preferred only a lap belt. He said he would "rather flap around in there." "I move around so much," he said. "I'd rather have the freedom of a seat belt."
NASCAR took away that freedom the following year, insisting drivers wear some sort of harness restraint. Because Weatherly's car offered no protection at the driver's side window, NASCAR started looking at ways to keep a driver in the car during an accident. The sanctioning body developed window webbing, which was introduced in 1971 and is still used today.
He died at 41 years of age. Weatherly was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery on Granby Street in Norfolk, Virginia. His headstone depicts a replica of Riverside Speedway with an "X" marking the location where Weatherly's wreck took place.
A hard competitor and loveable clown who seemed to speak in a rapid, staccato shorthand, Joe enjoyed life and excelled in every form of racing he tried. He left the sport a true champion.
He is one of two reigning champions of what is now known as the Sprint Cup Series to die during a season as the defending champion (1992 Winston Cup champion Alan Kulwicki, who died in a plane crash during the 1993 season, is the other) and the only one of the two to die during a race.
Weatherly's fatal crash, combined with Richard Petty's crash at Darlington in 1970, eventually led NASCAR to mandate the window net seven years later in 1971. Window nets are used in most stockcar racing series to this day.
Weatherly's grave marker is a sculpture of Riverside Raceway, a checkered flag marking the spot of his fatal crash.