Robert James Moroso was a NASCAR racing driver who was champion of the NASCAR Busch Series in 1989, and was posthumously awarded the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year award.
19 Facts About Rob Moroso
1.
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Rob Moroso grew up in Madison, Connecticut, with two other siblings, Rick and Susan.
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Rob Moroso's father was Richard D "Dick" Moroso, who served as owner and sponsor for much of the younger Moroso's racing career.
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Rob Moroso attended the Buck Baker Racing School at Rockingham Speedway.
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Rob Moroso made his debut in the Busch Series at Orange County Speedway in North Carolina in 1986, two days after his 18th birthday.
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Rob Moroso made his second start of the season in Rick Hendrick's No 15 Chevrolet at Rockingham Speedway, finishing 18th.
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Rob Moroso began running full-time in 1987, driving the No 25 Oldsmobile owned by his father and sponsored by Rob Moroso Performance.
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Rob Moroso ran 25 of 27 races that season, with eight top tens and a 15th-place points finish.
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Rob Moroso won his first career race in July 1988 at Myrtle Beach Speedway, at the age of 19, after out-dueling defending series champion Larry Pearson.
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In 1989, Rob Moroso was vying with veteran driver Tommy Houston for the championship in the final race of the year, at Martinsville Speedway.
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Houston's engine failed during the race, while Rob Moroso finished third and won the title by 55 points over Houston.
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At the time Rob Moroso was the youngest champion in the history of NASCAR.
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Rob Moroso won a total of six races from 1988 to 1989, including 3 consecutive at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and was voted the most popular driver on the circuit.
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Rob Moroso made his debut in Winston Cup in 1988 at Charlotte in the No 47 Peak Antifreeze Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, finishing 14th.
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Rob Moroso declared he was running for Rookie of the Year in the 1990 season, driving the No 20 Crown Central Petroleum Oldsmobile for his father.
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On September 30,1990, four days after his 22nd birthday, Rob Moroso was killed in an automobile crash on North Carolina Highway 150 near Mooresville, North Carolina, only hours after finishing 21st in the Holly Farms 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
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Rob Moroso had been seen drinking several beers at a Cornelius, North Carolina, 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.
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Rob Moroso had been convicted of speeding four times between 1987 and 1989, and had been involved in two prior highway crashes which included a rollover.
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Rob Moroso earned enough points after completing just 25 of 29 races that he was awarded the Raybestos NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award in 1990, the only driver to ever receive the award posthumously.