Bobby Isaac | |||||||
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Born | Robert Vance Isaac August 1, 1932 Catawba, North Carolina, U.S. | ||||||
Died | August 14, 1977 Hickory, North Carolina, U.S. | (aged 45)||||||
Cause of death | Heart attack due to heat exhaustion | ||||||
Achievements | 1970 Grand National Series champion Holds Cup Series record for most poles in a season (20 poles in 1969) | ||||||
Awards | 1969 Grand National Series Most Popular Driver National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame (1979) International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1996) Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) NASCAR Hall of Fame (2016) Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023) | ||||||
NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
308 races run over 14 years | |||||||
Best finish | 1st (1970) | ||||||
First race | 1961 World 600 qualifier No. 1 (Charlotte) | ||||||
Last race | 1976 World 600 (Charlotte) | ||||||
First win | 1964 Daytona 500 qualifier No. 2 (Daytona) | ||||||
Last win | 1972 Carolina 500 (Rockingham) | ||||||
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NASCAR Grand National East Series career | |||||||
8 races run over 2 years | |||||||
Best finish | 30th (1973) | ||||||
First race | 1972 Hickory 276 (Hickory) | ||||||
Last race | 1973 Buddy Shuman 100 (Hickory) | ||||||
First win | 1972 Albany-Saratoga 250 (Malta) | ||||||
Last win | 1972 Coalminers 200 (Lonesome Pine) | ||||||
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Statistics current as of April 17, 2013. |
Robert Vance Isaac (August 1, 1932 – August 14, 1977) was an American stock car racing driver. Isaac made his first NASCAR appearance in 1961, and quickly forged a reputation of one of the toughest competitors of the 1960s and 1970s. He was most famously associated with driving Nord Krauskopf's red No. 71 K&K Insurance Dodge Charger. Isaac was NASCAR's Grand National Series champion in 1970. Isaac abruptly retired from full-time top-level competition in 1973 and died of a heart attack during a late model race at Hickory Motor Speedway in 1977. For his achievements, Isaac was named as one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers and inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.