The NASCAR Crew Chief That Went Missing

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  • Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
  • Mario Rossi was a crew chief and mechanic in NASCAR for over 20 years. He was well respected and beloved across the garage, and had the success to back it up. Rossi was a crew chief for multiple drivers, including Fireball Roberts and Bobby Allison, and won 13 races in NASCAR’s top level. He decided to call it quits in 1976, but his retirement didn’t last as long as he thought. In 1982, after visiting his family in Trenton, New Jersey for the Christmas season, his sister dropped him off at Philadelphia Airport to return home to Florida. However this would be the last time Mario would be seen by his family. On January 2nd, 1983, Mario’s sister received a phone call from an unknown woman that told her that her brother was dead. Today we’re going to talk about Mario Rossi’s mysterious disappearance, and the leading theories of what happened.
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 65

  • @nascarfan4888JJ
    @nascarfan4888JJ  Рік тому +14

    CLARIFICATION⬇:
    Tom Pistone was not arrested - it was Peter Thomas Pistone, a motorsports journalist and commentator. In several sources it simply read "Thomas Pistone" and I assumed it was the same person. Sorry about that error!

    • @atgn70
      @atgn70 Рік тому +5

      this isn't just an error,,you need to take this whole thing down and completely redo it because of what you posted about the wrong guy....It's called slander....You could end up losing your entire page over this...I'd redo it in a hurry...Don't be ignorant.

    • @mattponds5429
      @mattponds5429 Рік тому +5

      Not the same Pete Pistone. Pete of Sirius Nascar is Tom's nephew. Tom also had a son named Peter. Pete Pistone has seen this video and is aware. It's his cousin Peter Thomas

  • @mr.scraps1793
    @mr.scraps1793 Рік тому +15

    Baloughs late model hood had a decal that said "who said money don't grow on trees"😂

  • @pughoneycutt1986
    @pughoneycutt1986 Рік тому +13

    Well they finally found L.W. Wright, so maybe some day we will learn for sure about Mario .

  • @mikeskidmore6754
    @mikeskidmore6754 Рік тому +6

    The following year, 1971, growing safety concerns forced NASCAR to limit the engines in winged cars to 305 cubic inches or 5.0 liters. This took away any aerodynamic advantage they had. So, after two brief years, the Aero Wars ended. Although taking many records home, Chrysler’s “Winged Warriors” failed to win decisively against Ford in the overall. Not 205 Cubic Inches as stated in the audio . here

  • @hectorzambrano4092
    @hectorzambrano4092 5 місяців тому +2

    Didn’t know Mario and Luigi were actually drug brothers, HECK I’d bet those famous green pipes were used to transport their “sniff powder” all along.
    Jokes aside, this was truly a wild story, rather terrifying to say the least, considering the circumstances of the drug business in general.

  • @KellieLeigh48
    @KellieLeigh48 Рік тому +21

    Great work on this story. Some other suggestions for these type videos. Roy Tyner's mysterious death in 1989 that was somehow labeled a suicide by police. Billy Crump's 1992 murder, just a few examples

    • @david-468
      @david-468 Рік тому +1

      I love how even before militarization of police they covered for people, just imagine what it’s like now, but I digress

    • @butchknouse8316
      @butchknouse8316 Рік тому +1

      Why would anybody want them dead?

  • @Flaming-Hedgehog
    @Flaming-Hedgehog Рік тому +12

    Possibilities:
    Someone killed Rossi to prevent him from implicating others.
    He fled, fearing either his arrest by authorities or murder by smugglers still on the loose.
    He cooperated with authorities and entered a witness protection program.

    • @Carlos-r5n2b
      @Carlos-r5n2b 6 місяців тому

      I heard he was pushed out of a small aircraft over the ocean. Police were thinking it was a possibility.

    • @Flaming-Hedgehog
      @Flaming-Hedgehog 6 місяців тому

      @@Carlos-r5n2b No kidding. 🤣

  • @saramccarty3921
    @saramccarty3921 Рік тому +4

    loving these types of videos!

  • @roymcdre9180
    @roymcdre9180 Рік тому +7

    Mario had a hand in the infamous Devil Z, think he tuned it for Mid Night Club. Mans was global

    • @mufcking
      @mufcking Рік тому

      Wasn't it mitsunaga's De Tomaso Pantera that had a Nascar Spec Big Block LS7.

    • @CharlesG-qv8by
      @CharlesG-qv8by Рік тому

      Yes

    • @JackMehoff-db8bt
      @JackMehoff-db8bt Рік тому

      Ehh it just sounds too goo ti be true lol I don’t see them crossin paths dat wey

  • @barrycuda3769
    @barrycuda3769 Рік тому +12

    I think you meant 305 cubic inches ,not 205 . On that subject, I dont know too much about the 305's in the Nascar mopars, but I assume they were the same as the Chrysler 304 's in the Trans Am racing .

  • @silverstar4289
    @silverstar4289 Рік тому +2

    I live in a very big sprint racing area. We speculate some of the teams were involved in transporting with their cross country race circuits.

  • @TehFactorHD
    @TehFactorHD Рік тому +1

    As a south Florida racer I’ve always been fascinated by these story’s. Read Gary’s book and always been a fan but this is a wild rabbit hole. If you check out the pod cast The Sneak they really dig deep to investigate this and actually make a lot of ground on the events that lead up to him disappear. Sad to say I think he’s sleeping with the fishes and a lot of the rumors I’ve heard suggest that too

    • @gregorygolden1296
      @gregorygolden1296 Рік тому +2

      I am a former South Florida stockcar racer also. And have read Gary's book. What a book!! He tells it like it was. The good and the bad.

  • @danieltroxell8558
    @danieltroxell8558 10 місяців тому +1

    I can see running 13th at the first truck series race being fairly simple for a racing family like this because the truck series wasnt stacked back then. No need in saying anything about speculation Johns head hit the wall no doubt about it. Homestead in the trucks in the late 90's early 2000's was no joke and you can bet many many drivers took it easy there and John didnt giving him the above average finishes

  • @markmiller489
    @markmiller489 Рік тому +2

    Ahhhh how in the world do I not know this story???? Is this like a dirty nascar secret kept for years??

  • @ZAYRUSH48
    @ZAYRUSH48 Рік тому

    I remember listening to this story on a podcast. really intriguing story

  • @headbrown5629
    @headbrown5629 Рік тому +9

    Darrel Derringer......like the little pistol Derringer...like rick singer, rick Derringer

  • @shanew.williams
    @shanew.williams Рік тому +1

    Man that clunker @1:20 is "beat down" lol.

  • @butchknouse8316
    @butchknouse8316 Рік тому +1

    305 engine not 205. He had factory backing which went away at the end of 1970.

  • @LancasterResponding
    @LancasterResponding Рік тому +2

    Kids, don’t do drugs but super don’t get involved in drug smuggling.

  • @tonycecere-rv8zh
    @tonycecere-rv8zh Рік тому

    Very interesting story to say the least

  • @DaveyZee72
    @DaveyZee72 Рік тому

    I’d have thought by now someone would have filed a freedom of info request on this guy which would hopefully offer more depth into the story

    • @CharlesG-qv8by
      @CharlesG-qv8by Рік тому

      Well tried that already and unfortunately “they” said there is no freedom of information act with a situation like this.

  • @chrisedgemon4943
    @chrisedgemon4943 4 місяці тому

    Listened to a podcast about this at the end they interviewed Gary balough he knows more then he let's on he claims he seen Mario on 60 minutes flying a helicopter in south America but just the way he acted when asked was very suspicious

  • @ShawnReidel-qd4br
    @ShawnReidel-qd4br Рік тому +5

    Tiger Tom Pistone was never arrested in the cases against Balough, Bruce Pee Wee Griffin or Billie Harvey. A few facts and a whole lot of speculation mixed in. The story is well documented from other sources. More to this story, yes but Tiger Tom wasn’t the Pistone arrested.

    • @mattponds5429
      @mattponds5429 Рік тому +1

      His son was indicted

    • @mattponds5429
      @mattponds5429 Рік тому

      I was incorrect on Thomas Jr. He killed himself in 1976. Peter Thomas Pistone was indicted

    • @michaelsorrentino9279
      @michaelsorrentino9279 Рік тому

      Oh shit someone knows too many people around here !!

  • @bfromthed
    @bfromthed Рік тому +1

    It's gotta be A or B. I would imagine B is most likely.

  • @DonaldHarrington-vl7zq
    @DonaldHarrington-vl7zq Рік тому

    My adopted dad did the same thing he used his pit crew chief pass and brought pounds of cartel meth from Tucson to the Phoenix NASCAR parkway where they loaded the semi trucks with narcotics they drove cross country to other states using the vehicle haulers and equipment and merchandise trailers to smuggle narcotics I was just a bistander of my adopted family's illigal enterprises

  • @chuckwhitson654
    @chuckwhitson654 Рік тому

    Sounds to me like mr rossi went to witness protection

  • @mattponds5429
    @mattponds5429 Рік тому +1

    Tom Pistone Jr was indicted not Tom Sr. is Pete Pistone of Sirius cousin.

    • @mattponds5429
      @mattponds5429 Рік тому +1

      My apologies. I had incorrect information. Thomas Jr committed suicide in 1976. The person indicted was Peter Thomas Pistone

  • @atgn70
    @atgn70 Рік тому +2

    Darel pronounced more like "Derrin-jer" not "die-ringer",fyi.

  • @chuckwhitson654
    @chuckwhitson654 Рік тому

    $300m in 1980 money is a billion dollar operation today

  • @doginu
    @doginu Рік тому

    He had a smart phone...

  • @chuckwhitson654
    @chuckwhitson654 Рік тому

    The main cartel has had it since

  • @NSBlack_Stallion
    @NSBlack_Stallion Рік тому

    Missing. Not dead. Involvement? Birds of a feather…

  • @isthatrubble
    @isthatrubble 11 місяців тому

    imagine if he just ran off with a woman to escape his money problems and it had nothing to do with the drugs bust at all....

  • @MatthewLewisAtlanta
    @MatthewLewisAtlanta 28 днів тому

    It's pronounced Darrel "DARE-in-jer" and Gary "Bah-LEW"

  • @Crussell04
    @Crussell04 Рік тому

    cartel probably took him out

  • @theothermrsaturn
    @theothermrsaturn Рік тому +1

    I don’t know if I feel bad for Mario

  • @ridgerunnerperformance-jas5418

    This is painful to watch. I think you would be better off to start over and proof read the script.

  • @CharlesG-qv8by
    @CharlesG-qv8by Рік тому +3

    Again another person with wrong dates and information.
    Nice try, don’t quit your day job.

    • @CharlesG-qv8by
      @CharlesG-qv8by Рік тому +1

      I’m a family member so I know the right info 👍

  • @Flaming-Hedgehog
    @Flaming-Hedgehog Рік тому

    Those Daytona's and Superbirds are the goofiest looking things. Good call from France if nothing more than getting rid of ugly cars.

    • @DanEBoyd
      @DanEBoyd Рік тому +1

      Yeah, Renaults and Citroens don't look funny either...
      Renault? Re-Nault Way!!!

    • @Flaming-Hedgehog
      @Flaming-Hedgehog Рік тому +2

      @@DanEBoyd Bill France you knob not the country 🤣

    • @petegregory517
      @petegregory517 Рік тому +2

      Outlawed em cause no one could beat em.

    • @Flaming-Hedgehog
      @Flaming-Hedgehog Рік тому

      @@petegregory517 And that makes them less ugly how?

    • @petegregory517
      @petegregory517 Рік тому +1

      @@Flaming-Hedgehog Like women with guys, money in the pocket….all of a sudden he’s less fugly. Winning is beautiful in racing.