{"id":1339716,"date":"2021-03-22T19:33:09","date_gmt":"2021-03-22T23:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1339716"},"modified":"2021-03-22T19:33:10","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T23:33:10","slug":"bob-pronger-criminal-nascar-driver-mysteriously-disappeared-never-seen-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/bob-pronger-criminal-nascar-driver-mysteriously-disappeared-never-seen-again\/","title":{"rendered":"The Curious Case of Bob Pronger: The Criminal NASCAR Driver Who Mysteriously Disappeared and Was Never Seen Again"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bob Pronger may not show up in many NASCAR record books today, but he's one of the most interesting figures in auto racing<\/a> history. Aside from his known career as a race car<\/a> driver, Pronger lived a double life as a criminal who was involved in a large-scale car theft ring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But somewhere along the way, Pronger must've pissed off the wrong people. In 1971, he disappeared without a trace and was never seen again. This is the curious case of the mysterious Bob Pronger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bob Pronger's NASCAR career<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Bob
NASCAR driver Bob Pronger stands next to his car | ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

RELATED: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Once Turned Some Post-Head Injury Medical Advice Into an Invitation to Party: \u2018I Did End Up Peeing in a Closet That Night\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up in Blue Island, Ill., Bob Pronger was never a huge racing fan as a child. Pronger picked up the sport of basketball at a young age because of his size (he grew to be 6-foot-5), and it wasn't until his post-college years that he picked up auto racing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pronger saw his first race up close at nearby Raceway Park in Chicago in 1948. The next year, he hopped into the driver's seat himself at 27 years old. He joined the Championship Stock Car Club and went on to win six races and finish fifth in the final standings in 1950. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pronger raced on various circuits during his racing career, and he even competed in nine races in the NASCAR Grand National Division from 1951-61. He never won a Grand National Division race or even placed inside the top 10 in any of his starts, but that's where his most famous story comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a 1953 qualifying race at a beach and road course in Daytona Beach, Fla., Pronger won the pole with a blistering time. Along the way, he set the NASCAR measured mile record by reaching a top speed of 115.77 miles per hour in his \u201953 Oldsmobile 88. The previous record for a stock car in a measured mile was 100.28 mph, which was set by Joe Littlejohn in 1950.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pronger's record time was later thrown out because he refused to allow his engine to be examined, but his racing acumen was always evident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bob Pronger lived a double life as a criminal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Bob Pronger in his Caddy at @SoldierField<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/vqYpS0ZIlD<\/a><\/p>— Stock Car Facts (@StockCarFacts) March 13, 2014<\/a><\/blockquote>