The year was 1962. Cheering on NASCAR had become an American pastime. However, the rock stars behind the wheel were essentially piloting the very same cars that enthusiasts could buy at their local dealership. Edward Glenn “Fireball” Roberts Jr. was one such driver. His 1962 season was one for the record books. Of his 206 career races, he finished in the top-5 just shy of half the time, and in the top-10 nearly 60% of the time! In 1962, he won both the Daytona 500 and the Firecracker 250 driving a black and gold Pontiac built by the award-winning Smokey Yunick, and sponsored by Jim Stephens Pontiac of Daytona Beach.
To commemorate his astounding season, Stephens Pontiac developed the 1962 Pontiac Grand Prix “Fireball” Roberts Edition. It was painted rich Starlight Black with the same gold accents as Roberts’ winning racer. Under the hood was the dealer-installed 421ci powerplant. Only about 30 of these historic and rare cars were ever produced by the dealership!
