| Bob Fish | |
| Birth Name: | John Robert Fish |
| Nationality: | American |
| Known For: | Inventing the "Fish Carburetor" |
| Occupation: | NASCAR car owner |
| Children: | 1 |
John Robert Fish ( - May 11, 1958) was a NASCAR Grand National Series race car owner whose career spanned from 1955 to 1958.[1]
He was the possible inventor of the "Iron Lung" (formally known as a negative pressure ventilator) for his wife who was suffering from circulation problems. Another occasion had Fish cable the President of the United States on a lecture about using a simple pressure box to rescue sailors on a submarine.
He employed Fireball Roberts and Tommy Thompson as his main drivers.[1] They started an average of 11th place and finished an average of 45th place.[1] Fish's drivers would lead only 4 laps out of 106.[1] However, they did manage one finish in the top ten while driving only a grand total of 352.8miles.[1] Fireball Roberts' 11th place championship finish in 1958 was the best accomplishment in Fish's career.[1] Mr. Fish would eventually walk away from his NASCAR career earning a meager $390 ($ when adjusted for inflation).[1] Fish would also be the inventor of the famous "Fish Carburetor" which was first made in the early 1930s.[2]
However, the "Original Equipment" establishment felt that it was an intolerable threat, and Mr. Fish would suffer many years of dirty tricks, harassment and persecution.[2] Fish would eventually move to Florida where he could sell his products to wealthy game fishermen without the harassment he had back in California.[2] Compared to the standard carburetors of that time, Fish's carburetor helped to stop the needless waste of fuel on cornering, braking, and hard acceleration.[2]
For the time, it was considered to be "environmentally friendly" for that reason alone. Today, NASCAR uses fuel injection, which has made carburetors obsolete in the Sprint Cup Series.[3] [4] [5]
Fish died on May 11, 1958 after suffering a stroke the previous month.[6] [7]