23 Facts About Bob Tullius

Robert Charles Tullius was born 7 December 1930 in Rochester, New York.

Bob Tullius is best known as a race car driver and racing team owner.

Bob Tullius considered a career in teaching after graduating from high school.

Bob Tullius served a term in the US Air Force, and while there quarterbacked the Chanute Air Force base football team until a leg injury put an end to his playing.

Bob Tullius took a job in sales with Kodak, first in Rochester and later at Alexandria, Virginia.

Bob Tullius took the TR3 to racing school himself, and won the graduation race.

Bob Tullius' racing career began in earnest in 1961, when in his first four races he finished first or second, and won the points championship.

For 1962 Bob Tullius asked Triumph to provide him with a TR4 to race, promising to "beat the pants off [their] TR4s with [his] TR3" unless they did.

Bob Tullius placed second in the TR4 in its first race at Lime Rock, but on its next outing at Lake Garnett, the car was totaled.

In 1965 Bob Tullius established his own racing team, named Group 44 Incorporated, to pursue his chosen vocation while supporting his family.

Bob Tullius originally asked the SCCA for permission to use the number 1 on his cars because it could be applied with a single line of tape, but was denied.

At Lime Rock, Bob Tullius' wife cut one of the numerals backwards and, lacking a sheet of contact paper to recut it, cut the second "4" in the same way, so that Bob Tullius raced with a reversed "44".

Bob Tullius continued to run cars with some numbers reversed after that.

Bob Tullius originally used white with black stripes, but changed the color scheme to include a green stripe when they arranged sponsorship from Quaker State motor oil, a division of Royal Dutch Shell.

Bob Tullius personally raced cars from a wide range of manufacturers, including Alpine, AMC, Chevrolet, Dodge, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Plymouth, Porsche, Ferrari, and Ford.

Bob Tullius drove competitively until 1988, with his final win coming at the 1986 3 Hours of Daytona.

Bob Tullius appeared in no fewer than 252 races, winning 38 and posting 43 class wins.

Bob Tullius's best showing at Sebring was a fourth place in 1985.

Bob Tullius bought the last TR6 and last TR8 built by British Leyland when production ended.

Bob Tullius became a World War II airplane enthusiast, and participated in several Warbird Air Shows.

Bob Tullius took part in the Young Eagles program operated by the Experimental Aircraft Association.

Bob Tullius owned a Mustang P-51D, which he donated to the Royal Air Force Museum.

In 1972 Bob Tullius was in Bangkok visiting a friend when he was struck in the street by a chauffeur-driven car and injured.