Robert Moroso | |||||||
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Born |
Madison, Connecticut |
September 26, 1968||||||
Died | September 30, 1990 Near Mooresville, North Carolina |
(aged 22)||||||
Cause of death | Highway automobile crash | ||||||
Achievements | 1989 NASCAR Busch Series champion | ||||||
Awards |
1989 Busch Series Most Popular Driver 1990 Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year (posthumously) |
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Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
29 races run over 3 years | |||||||
Best finish | 30th (1990) | ||||||
First race | 1988 Oakwood Homes 500 (Charlotte) | ||||||
Last race | 1990 Tyson Holly Farms 400 (North Wilkesboro) | ||||||
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NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
86 races run over 4 years | |||||||
Best finish | 1st (1989) | ||||||
First race | 1986 Roses Stores 150 (Rougemont) | ||||||
Last race | 1989 Winston Classic (Martinsville) | ||||||
First win | 1988 Myrtle Beach 200 (Myrtle Beach) | ||||||
Last win | 1989 All Pro 300 (Charlotte) | ||||||
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Statistics current as of March 4, 2012. |
1989 Busch Series Most Popular Driver
Rob Moroso (September 26, 1968 – September 30, 1990) was a NASCAR racing driver who was champion of the NASCAR Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) in 1989, and was awarded the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup Series) Rookie of the Year award. A promising young driver, he and another driver were killed when Moroso was driving under the influence at excessive speeds on roads near his hometown of Terrell, North Carolina.
Born in Greenwich, Connecticut, he was the son of Dick Moroso, founder of Moroso Performance, suppliers of aftermarket automotive parts, and former owner of Moroso Motorsports Park in Jupiter, Florida.
Moroso grew up in Madison, Connecticut with two other siblings, Rick and Susan. His father, Richard D. "Dick" Moroso, was a New Rochelle, New York-born former drag racer who founded Moroso Performance the year Rob was born. Rob Moroso's father served as his owner and sponsor for much of his racing career.
After graduating from high school, Moroso enrolled in courses at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina, though he failed to complete them. He also attended the Buck Baker Racing School at Rockingham Speedway.
Moroso made his debut in the Busch Series at Orange County Speedway in North Carolina in 1986. two days after his 18th birthday. Driving the No. 23 Old Milwaukee Chevrolet, he qualified an impressive sixth, but finished 21st after suspension issues. He made his second start of the season in Rick Hendrick's No. 15 Chevrolet at Rockingham Speedway, finishing 18th. Moroso began running full-time in 1987, driving the No. 25 Oldsmobile owned by his father and sponsored by Moroso Performance. Moroso ran 25 of 27 races that season, with eight top tens and a 15th-place points finish. 1988 was a breakout season for Moroso. He 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. He would score his second win of the season at Charlotte, and finished second in the final Busch series points to Tommy Ellis.