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.
Early life Isaac grew up on a farm near Catawba, North Carolina, the second-youngest of nine children. He finished school after the sixth grade, which led to the incorrect rumor that he could neither read nor write.
NASCAR career
Isaac began racing full-time in 1956, but it took him seven years to break into the Grand National division. He won the championship in 1970 driving the No. 71 Dodge Charger Daytona sponsored by K&K Insurance. His crew chief was Harry Hyde. Isaac and Hyde took the car to Talladega in November and set a closed-course speed record.
Isaac won 37 races in NASCAR's top series during his career, including 11 in his championship season, and started from the pole position 49 times. Isaac currently holds the NASCAR record for most poles in a single season, with 20 in 1969. In 1970, he turned a 201.104 mph lap at Talladega, a record that stood until 1983.
Isaac dropped out of the 1973 Talladega 500 mid-race in an impulsive decision which surprised his pit crew and the team owner. "I wasn't afraid I was going to wreck...I don't have anything to prove to myself or to anybody else. I know how it feels to win and lose. I know how it feels to be a champion. And now I know how it feels to quit. It just entered my mind at that moment," Isaac said. "I decided to quit and that was that. (Team owner) Bud Moore didn't know I had quit until after the race. I didn't know about (Larry) Smith at that time." (Larry Smith was the first fatality at Talladega Superspeedway, which happened earlier in the race). Isaac did not participate in any further 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup races after Talladega, and the presumption by sports commentators in late 1973 was that he was retiring from the sport.
Ultimately, Isaac did return to NASCAR racing as a driver from 1974 through 1976, on a reduced schedule.
Land speed records Isaac also made his mark outside of NASCAR.First hand account of Bonneville Salt Flats land speed record attemptsInternational Motorsports Hall of Fame page In September 1971, he went to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah and set 28 world speed records, some of which still stand.
Awards Isaac was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame in 1979, and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1996. In 1998, NASCAR honored Isaac as one of its 50 greatest drivers. On May 20, 2015, Isaac was announced as a member of the 2016 induction class to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Death On Saturday night, August 13, 1977, while running fourth, Isaac pulled out of the Winston 200 late model sportsman race at Hickory Motor Speedway with 40 laps left, and called for a relief driver, collapsing on pit road of heat exhaustion. Weather reports for the area that day showed temperatures which had reached at mid-afternoon, and were still around at the time of Isaac's collapse. Though Isaac was revived briefly at the hospital and was conversing with friends, he later died from a heart attack caused by heat exhaustion, at 12:45 a.m. on August 14, 13 days after his 45th birthday.
Details of Isaac's pit lane collapse on the night of his death were given to reporters by friend and former racing driver Ned Jarrett. Jarrett asserted at that time that the reason Isaac left the 1973 Talladega 500 was because he "had heard a voice that told him to quit".
Motorsports career results
NASCAR (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Grand National Series NASCAR Grand National Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 Pts Ref 1961 Rex Lovette 27 Pontiac CLT JSP DAY DAY DAY PIF AWS HMS ATL GPS HBO BGS MAR NWS CLB HCY RCH MAR DAR CLT CLT RSD ASP CLT PIF BIR GPS BGS NOR HAS STR DAY ATL CLB MBS BRI NSV BGS AWS RCH SBO DAR HCY RCH CSF ATL MAR NWS CLT BRI GPS HBO 158th - 1963 Bondy Long 90 Plymouth BIR GGS THS RSD DAY DAY 20th 12858 99 DAY PIF AWS HBO AUG RCH GPS SBO BGS CLB THS ASH Ford ATL HCY BRI MAR NWS DAR ODS RCH CLT BIR ATL DAY MBS SVH DTS BGS OBS BRR BRI GPS NSV CLB AWS PIF BGS ONA DAR HCY RCH MAR DTS NWS THS Smokey Yunick 13 Chevy CLT SBO HBO RSD 1964 Nichels Engineering 26 Dodge CON AUG JSP SVH RSD DAY DAY DAY RCH BRI GPS BGS ATL AWS HBO PIF CLB NWS MAR SVH DAR LGY HCY SBO CLT GPS ASH ATL CON NSV CHT BIR VAL PIF DAY ODS OBS BRR ISP GLN LIN BRI NSV MBS AWS DTS ONA DAR MAR CLT 18th 13252 Louis Weathersbee 45 Plymouth CLB BGS STR HCY RCH ODS HBO SVH NWS Owens Racing 5 Dodge HAR AUG JAC 1965 Nichels Engineering 35 Dodge RSD DAY DAY DAY PIF ASW RCH HBO ATL GPS NWS MAR CLB BRI DAR LGY BGS HCY CLT CCF ASH HAR NSV BIR ATL GPS MBS VAL DAY ODS OBS ISP GLN BRI NSV CCF AWS SMR PIF AUG CLB DTS BLV BGS DAR HCY LIN ODS RCH MAR NWS CLT HBO CAR 75th 980 Junior Johnson & Associates 26 Ford DTS 1966 AUG RSD DAY DAY DAY CAR BRI ATL HCY CLB GPS BGS NWS MAR DAR LGY MGR MON RCH CLT DTS ASH PIF SMR AWS BLV GPS DAY ODS BRR OXF FON ISP BRI SMR NSV ATL CLB AWS BLV BGS DAR HCY RCH HBO MAR NWS CLT 53rd 3438 Owens Racing 5 Dodge CAR 1967 K&K Insurance Racing 71 Dodge AUG RSD DAY DAY DAY AWS BRI GPS BGS ATL CLB HCY NWS MAR SVH RCH CLT ASH MGR SMR BIR CAR GPS MGY DAY TRN OXF FDA ISP ATL BGS CLB SVH DAR HCY RCH BLV HBO MAR NWS CLT CAR AWS 14th 19698 37 DAR BLV LGY King Enterprises 53 Dodge BRI SMR NSV 1968 K&K Insurance Racing 37 Dodge MGR MGY RSD RCH GPS CLB 2nd 3373 71 DAY BRI ATL HCY NWS MAR AUG AWS DAR BLV LGY CLT ASH MGR SMR BIR CAR GPS DAY ISP OXF FDA TRN BRI SMR NSV ATL CLB BGS AWS SBO LGY DAR HCY RCH BLV HBO MAR NWS AUG CLT CAR JFC9* 1969 MGR MGY RSD DAY DAY DAY CAR AUG BRI14* ATL CLB HCY GPS RCH NWS MAR AWS DAR BLV LGY CLT MGR SMR MCH KPT GPS NCF DAY DOV TPN TRN BLV BRI NSV SMR ATL MCH SBO BGS AWS DAR HCY RCH TAL CLB MAR NWS CLT SVH AUG CAR JFC MGR TWS 6th 3301 1970 RSD DAY DAY DAY RCH CAR SVH ATL BRI TAL NWS CLB DAR BLV LGY CLT SMR MAR MCH RSD HCY KPT GPS DAY AST TPN TRN BRI SMR NSV ATL CLB ONA MCH TAL BGS SBO DAR HCY RCH DOV NCF NWS CLT MAR MGR CAR LGY 1st 3911 1971 RSD DAY DAY DAY ONT RCH CAR HCY BRI ATL CLB GPS SMR NWS13* MAR DAR SBO13* TAL ASH KPT CLT DOV MCH RSD HOU GPS DAY BRI AST ISP TRN NSV ATL BGS ONA MCH TAL CLB HCY DAR MAR CLT DOV CAR MGR RCH NWS TWS49 23rd 1819
Winston Cup Series NASCAR Winston Cup Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Pts Ref 1972 K&K Insurance Racing 71 Dodge RSD DAY RCH ONT CAR ATL BRI DAR NWS MAR19* TAL CLT DOV MCH RSD TWS DAY BRI TRN ATL TAL MCH NSV DAR RCH DOV 19th 5050.85 Donlavey Racing 98 Ford MAR NWS Matthews Racing 27 Chevy CLT CAR TWS 1973 Bud Moore Engineering 15 Ford RSD DAY RCH CAR BRI ATL NWS DAR MAR TAL NSV CLT DOV TWS RSD MCH DAY BRI ATL TAL NSV DAR RCH DOV NWS MAR CLT CAR 26th 3352.4 1974 Matthews Racing 27 Chevy RSD DAY RCH CAR BRI ATL 33rd 152.94 Donlavey Racing 90 Ford DAR NWS Ellington Racing 28 Chevy MAR TAL NSV DOV DAY BRI NSV ATL POC TAL MCH DAR RCH DOV NWS MAR 29 CLT RSD MCH K&K Insurance Racing 17 Dodge CLT CAR ONT 1975 Ellington Racing 28 Chevy RSD DAY RCH CAR BRI ATL NWS DAR MAR TAL NSV DOV 48th 405 Norris Reed 83 Chevy CLT RSD MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH DAR DOV NWS MAR Puro Racing 75 Mercury CLT RCH Ed Gibson 3 Chevy CAR BRI ATL ONT 1976 Howard & Egerton Racing 6 Chevy RSD DAY CAR RCH BRI ATL NWS DAR MAR TAL NSV DOV 114th 49 Neil Castles CLT RSD MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR ATL ONT
Daytona 500 Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish 1963 Bondy Long Plymouth DNQ 1964 Nichels Engineering Dodge 4 15 1966 Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 14 21 1967 K&K Insurance Racing Dodge 23 19 1968 11 36 1969 2 30 1970 3 5 1971 2 10 1972 1 33 1973 Bud Moore Engineering Ford 10 2 1974 Matthews Racing Chevrolet 3 8
References
External links
Biography, part 1 Biography, part 2 Bobby Isaac: NASCAR's First Modern Champion