Joe Weatherly

Joseph Herbert Weatherly, better known as Joe Weatherly, was an American speed motorsport driver. Raced in 230 races of the NASCAR Grand National Series between 1952 and 1964. He was champion of the category in 1962 and 1963, where he accumulated 25 victories and 105 top 5s.

Career
During adolescence, he became interested in motorcycling. As a young man, Weatherly got a job, working as a motorcycle delivery boy for a pharmacy. He began competing in local races in the early 1940s. After serving for the Army in World War II, he returned to competition.

It triumphed in three national American Motorcycle Association (AMA) events between 1946 and 1950, including the prestigious Laconia 100 Miles in 1948.

Weatherly made the transition to stock cars in 1950. He won his first modified event in which he participated. He had 49 victories in 83 races. In 1952 he won the NASCAR Modified National Crown, and again won 49 of the 83 he entered. Weatherly won 52 races in 1953 and successfully defended the title.

In 1956 Weatherly participated in the NASCAR Grand National Series in a partial schedule of 17 races, most of them with a Charlie Schwam Ford, achieving 6 top-5s and 12 top-10s. The following year, he contested 4 dates for Pete DePaolo and 10 for Holman Moody, getting 5 top 5. In 1958, he won at Nashville with his first NASCAR Grand National victory, for a total of 5 top-fives in 15 races. Weatherly achieved six top-fives and top-10s in 1959, driving a Doc White Ford.

In 1960, Weatherly had 3 wins and 7 top-fives in a Holman Moody Ford, finishing 20th in the championship. In 1961, Weatherly happened to drive a Pontiac of Bud Moore. He was fourth with 9 wins and 14 top-5s, despite completing half the schedule.

The following year, he regularly participated in the NASCAR Grand National. Driving a Bud Moore Pontiac, he obtained 9 victories and 39 top-fives in 52 races to become champion of the category. In 1963, he raced for 9 teams in total, the majority of races for Bud Moore. He was champion that year 3 victories and 20 top 5.

Death
In the first four races of 1964, Weatherly achieved 2 top-fives.

On the fifth date at Riverside, he suffered an accident in which he ended up dying from head injuries.

His car went straight around a right turn, and ended up hitting a retaining wall. The pilot's head struck the A-frame and crashed hard against the wall as well, killing him instantly.

Weatherly was only protected by a lap belt, and did not have a window safety net installed in his vehicle, because he was afraid of being trapped in the event his car were caught in flames.

Awards
He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2009.

Weatherly was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on January 30, 2015.

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