Robert James Moroso (September 26, 1968  – September 30, 1990) was an AmericanNASCAR racing driver who was champion of the NASCAR Busch Series (nowXfinity Series) in 1989,^[2] and wasposthumously awarded the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup (nowNASCAR Cup Series) Rookie of the Year award. A promising young driver, he and another driver were killed when Moroso wasdriving under the influence atexcessive speeds on roads near his hometown ofTerrell, North Carolina.^[2][3]

Born inGreenwich, Connecticut, he was the son ofDick Moroso,^[4] founder ofMoroso Performance, suppliers of aftermarket automotive parts, and former owner ofMoroso Motorsports Park inJupiter, Florida.^[5]

Moroso grew up inMadison, Connecticut, with two other siblings, Rick and Susan. His father wasRichard D. "Dick" Moroso, who served as owner and sponsor for much of the younger Moroso's racing career.^[6][7]

After graduating from high school, Moroso enrolled in courses atCentral Piedmont Community College inCharlotte,North Carolina, though he failed to complete them. He also attended theBuck Baker Racing School atRockingham Speedway.^[6]

Moroso made his debut in theBusch Series atOrange County Speedway inNorth Carolina in 1986, two days after his 18th birthday. Driving the No. 23Old Milwaukee Chevrolet, he qualified an impressive sixth, but finished 21st after suspension issues.^[3][8] He made his second start of the season inRick Hendrick's No. 15 Chevrolet atRockingham Speedway, finishing 18th.^[3][8] Moroso began running full-time in 1987, driving the No. 25Oldsmobile 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.^[3] 1988 was a breakout season for Moroso.^[8][3] He won his first career race in July 1988 atMyrtle Beach Speedway, at the age of 19, after out-dueling defending series championLarry Pearson.^[3][4][8] He would score his second win of the season atCharlotte, and finished second in the final Busch series points toTommy Ellis.^[8]

In 1989, Moroso was vying with veteran driverTommy Houston for the championship in the final race of the year, atMartinsville Speedway. Houston's engine failed during the race, while Moroso finished third and won the title by 55 points over Houston. At the time Moroso was the youngest champion in the history of NASCAR.^[4][8] Moroso won a total of six races from 1988 to 1989, including 3 consecutive atCharlotte Motor Speedway, and was voted the most popular driver on the circuit.^[4]

Moroso made his debut in Winston Cup in 1988 atCharlotte in the No. 47Peak Antifreeze Chevrolet forHendrick Motorsports, finishing 14th.^[8] He would race one more time in 1988 and ran two races in 1989 as a warm up for the following season. Moroso declared he was running for Rookie of the Year in the 1990 season, driving the No. 20Crown Central PetroleumOldsmobile for his father.^[8] The highlight of the season was a ninth-place finish in thePepsi Firecracker 400 atDaytona.^[8] Other than that, Moroso posted no wins, no top 5's, and only 1 top 10 and DNF'd in 15 races.

On September 30, 1990, four days after his 22nd birthday, Moroso was killed in an automobile crash onNorth Carolina Highway 150 nearMooresville, North Carolina, only hours after finishing 21st in the Holly Farms 400 atNorth Wilkesboro Speedway. Traveling at an estimated 75 mph (121 km/h), Moroso lost control of his vehicle in a curve with a 35 mph (56 km/h) posted speed limit, skidding over 200 feet before being struck in the driver's side door by an oncoming car in the opposite lane. The resulting collision killed both Moroso and Tammy Williams, a 27-year-old nursing assistant, wife and mother who was driving in the opposite lane.^[9] The passenger in Moroso's vehicle, girlfriend Debbie Bryant, as well as a passenger in Williams' vehicle both survived with injuries.^{[8][9][2][10]}

Investigations revealed that he had beendriving under the influence of alcohol. Moroso had been seen drinking several beers at aCornelius, 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.^[9][11][12] He also had been convicted of speeding four times between 1987 and 1989, and had been involved in two prior highway crashes which included a rollover.^[9][11] Judges could have revoked his license at least twice but the charges were reduced.^[11][13]

Moroso earned enough points after completing just 25 of 29 races that he was awarded the RaybestosNASCAR Rookie of the Year Award in 1990, the only driver to ever receive the award posthumously.^[3][8]

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

• Rob Moroso driver statistics at Racing-Reference

• 1968 births
• 1990 deaths
• People from Madison, Connecticut
• Sportspeople from New Haven County, Connecticut
• Racing drivers from Connecticut
• NASCAR drivers
• NASCAR Xfinity Series champions
• ISCARS Dash Touring Series drivers
• Road incident deaths in North Carolina
• Sportspeople from Greenwich, Connecticut
• Hendrick Motorsports drivers

• Articles with short description
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