Career
Weatherly enjoyed behaving outrageously. He once took practice laps wearing a Peter Pan suit. Moreover, he frequently stayed out partying until the early hours, usually with fellow driver and good time buddy Curtis Turner.
This behavior earned him the nickname "The Clown Prince of Racing".
In 1956 at Raleigh, while racing in the convertible series, Weatherly"s engine blew. With the help of Ralph Liguori pushing from behind, he displayed showmanship to the fullest extent by crossing the finish line while standing in a "chariot of fire".
In 1998 he was inducted into the American Medical Association Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Weatherly began racing cars in 1950.
Weatherly had partial interest in what would later be called Richmond International Raceway from 1955 to 1956.
In 1956 he moved into the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing Grand National series (now Sprint Cup) He drove a factory-sponsored Ford car for Pete DePaolo Engineering. In 1957 and 1958 he drove for Holman Moody. In 1959, Weatherly would score six finishes in the "top five" and ten finishes in the top ten.
He would narrowly lose the 1959 Hickory 250 to Junior Johnson.
Being outlapped twice before the race was concluded. Moore did not have enough resources to run the full season, so Weatherly frequently "bummed a ride".
Weatherly died on January 19, 1964, from head injuries sustained in a racing accident at the fifth race of the 1964 season at Riverside International Raceway. His head went outside the car and struck a retaining wall, killing him instantly.
Weatherly was not wearing a shoulder harness, and did not have a window Netto installed on his vehicle, because he was afraid of being trapped in a burning car.
Weatherly"s fatal crash, combined with Richard Petty"s crash at Darlington in 1970, eventually led National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing to mandate the window Netto seven years later in 1971. Window nets are used in most stockcar racing series to this day. Weatherly"s grave marker is a sculpture of Riverside Raceway, a checkered flag marking the spot of his fatal crash.