Bobby Myers was born June 27, 1927 the younger
brother of Billy Myers. He made his home in Winston-Salem, North
Carolina. Myers began competing in the NASCAR Grand National
Division in 1951 at the age of 24. He made 2 starts in 1951, in
his first outing in the 200-lap event at the ½-mile dirt
Asheville-Weaverville Speedway at Weaverville, North Carolina,
Myers finished 16th driving a 1949 Ford. Myers then drove the #2
Hudson in the Motor City 250 on the 1-mile dirt track at
Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit where he started 34th and
finished 25th.Myers returned to NASCAR Grand National
Division competition in 1952 driving George Hutchens’ #6 Ford in
the Southern 500 at Darlington. The Ford’s engine came apart on
lap 145 and relegated him to a 52nd finishing position in a
field of 66 cars.
In 1953, Myers drove the #18 Oldsmobile in two NASCAR Grand
National events. In the Southern 500, he started 50th and worked
his way to a 20th finishing position. At the 1-mile circle
Langhorne Speedway in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, Myers finished
10th.
Myers did not compete in the Grand National Division again
until 1956. He drove Ansel Rakestraw’s #1 Chevrolet at the
½-mile asphalt Palm Beach Speedway at West Palm Beach, Florida.
He started the event in 10th and finished it in 10th. At the
Daytona Beach and Road Course, Myers started 63rd of 76 cars and
finished 46th failing to collect a single cent of the purse
money. At the ½-mile dirt Wilson Speedway at Wilson, North
Carolina, Myers started 24th and finished 7th. At Langhorne,
Myers drove the #15W Ford owned by Bill Stroppe. Myers started
the race in 8th position, but an engine failure dropped him to
38th. Myers started 12th in the #1 Chevrolet in the Virginia 500
at Martinsville but a right front hub failure left him in 15th
position after completing 436 of the 500 laps. Myers was back
behind the wheel of Bill Stroppe’s #4 Mercury at the 4.1-mile
Road America road course at Elkhart Lakes, Wisconsin. He started
the race in 14th but a crash took him out on lap 39 and he
finished 21st. The Stroppe Mercury carried the #76 for the
Southern 500 and Myers put it in the 34th starting position.
Problems with the gas tank on lap 91 put him out of the event
and left him with a 61st finishing spot. Myers was optimistic
for the Buddy Shuman 250 at the 4/10-mile dirt Hickory Speedway
at Hickory, North Carolina after qualifying 6th, but a radiator
problem on lap 105 put him out of the event and left him
finishing in 19th position.
In 1957, Myers started 6th at the ½-mile dirt Southern States
Fairgrounds track at Charlotte, North Carolina driving Whitey
Norman’s #1A Ford, but a blown engine on lap 26 dropped him to a
19th finishing spot. At the Southern 500 on September 2, 1957,
Myers qualified the #4 Petty Enterprises Oldsmobile in the
second spot. Myers led his first lap in NASCAR Grand National
Division competition during the race. Myers was involved in a
violent crash on lap 27. Fonty Flock was driving Herb Thomas’
#92 Pontiac and spun on the backstretch stopping sideways in
turn 3. Paul Goldmith and Myers both struck the stopped car at
full speed.
Flock and Goldsmith both received serious injuries in the
crash. Myers died from his injuries.
Bobby Myers son, Danny "Chocolate" Myers would later become
involved in NASCAR serving as the gasman on the famous "Flying
Aces" pit crew of Richard Childress Racing and seven-time NASCAR
Winston Cup Series Champion Dale Earnhardt.
In 15 years of NASCAR Grand National competition, Bobby Myers
made 15 starts and recorded 3 top-10s.
