Who was Mario Rossi? Everything you need to know about NASCAR’s disappeared innovator-driver

The disappearance of Mario Rossi just after New Year’s Day in 1983 is perhaps one of the most mysterious stories in NASCAR. Had he been alive, Rossi, who served as a crew chief for veteran racers like Fireball Roberts and Bobby Allison, would have turned 92 yesterday.

Besides being a crew chief, Rossi was also an engine builder, mechanic, and car owner. He even drove in the NASCAR Grand National Series back in the 1950s. As per reports, in his debut race at Pennsylvania’s Langhorne Speedway, Rossi delivered a P9 finish.

In 1968, Rossi joined forces with the Chrysler Corporation and began fielding his own cars in the series. That year, Darel Deringer drove his Plymouth Roadrunner and finished 23rd in the Motor Trend 500 at Riverside International Speedway in California.

The following year, Allison joined the Rossi Engineering Team. His stint with Rossi’s team included 23 starts and victories at Bristol, North Wilkesboro, Richmond, and Macon. Rossi shut down the operations of the Rossi Engineering Team in 1971, selling off all his equipment and cars.

In 1982, Rossi flew to Trenton, New Jersey, to visit his family. On 1st January 1983, his sister dropped him off at Philadelphia airport, where Rossi was supposed to catch the flight back to Florida. But whether he boarded that flight or if he even reached Florida remains unknown. His sister received a call from his girlfriend the next day, who told her that Rossi had died in a plane crash.

However, few of his family members did not believe that. Even Rossi’s life insurance company determined that there was no crash. So what happened to the auto-racing trailblazer?

Nobody knows the answer. Sources suggest that there could be a connection between Rossi’s disappearance and a $300 million drug-smuggling cartel. Fans can learn more about this intriguing story in this Spotify podcast.

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Mario Rossi’s NASCAR innovation saved lives way before the demise of Dale Earnhardt Sr. in gruesome Daytona crash

Dale Earnhardt Sr., one of the most legendary drivers in NASCAR, succumbed to a last-lap crash in the 2001 Daytona 500. His death stirred the entire racing community and led NASCAR to improve its safety protocols.

Although nobody can argue that it was why Earnhardt suffered the fatal basilar fracture to his skull, there is no denying that the veteran racer never took the Head and Neck Support (HANS) device or safety straps seriously. A 2021 story by Sportscasting says the same thing.

Following the tragic fall of the “intimidator”, NASCAR named the HANS device as mandatory equipment for all drivers. Notably, Mario Rossi invented a safer seat belt configuration way before Earnhardt’s death.

The untimely demise of drivers Joe Weatherby and Billy Wade is what pushed Rossi to submerge himself in conjuring a better and improved version of the existing seat belt system. Rossi added a third strap to the combination, which paved the way for what is known as the seven- and nine-point restraint systems today. He was also the first to glue the lug nuts to the wheels.