2006 Racing Issue - UAW-Chrysler.com

to test-drive a racecar. It was stolen once
in California and found stripped on milk
crates. The Dodge engineering team
hauled it back to Michigan, where it was
reborn as a test car. It’s now on display
at the International Motorsports Hall
of Fame and Museum at Talladega
Superspeedway.
The breakthrough success of the
winged cars couldn’t have happened
without similar Dodge spark and
teamwork — or without embracing a
calculated risk in pursuit of innovation.
The result was a landmark win
for driver Richard Brickhouse. His
No. 99 Nichels Engineering Dodge
Charger Daytona took the inaugural
event at Alabama International Motor
Speedway on Sept. 14, 1969. As with
Charger teams today, teamwork and
unity from top to bottom bred success.
Ray Fox Sr., for example, was a Dodge
mechanic who contributed to 140 Grand
National victories in the 1960s and ’70s.
He once built an engine overnight for a
race on the old Daytona Beach course.
“Some of the guys didn’t want to get paid
for what they did,” he recalls. “They
helped because they wanted to have
something to do with racing.”
THE GLORY DAYS
Ask Petty about the initial glory period
of the Dodge Charger, and he’s not
bashful about ranking the Charger as
his No. 1 racecar. He’s described it as a
universal car, one that could drive well
anywhere — road course, short track or
CHARGER MILESTONES
Championships in Dodge Chargers: David Pearson (1966–67);
Buddy Baker (1967–68, 1970–73); Ray Elder (1971–72); Sam
McQuagg (1966); Bobby Isaac (1968–1972); Richard Petty (1973–77);
LeeRoy Yarbrough (1966–67); Charlie Glotzbach (1968, 1970);
Dave Marcis (1975–76); Bobby Allison (1967, 1969–71);
Richard Brickhouse (1969); Neil Bonnett (1977)
Earl Balmer drives the No. 3 car to the first-ever NASCAR win in a Dodge
Charger on Feb. 25, 1966, at Daytona.
Richard Brickhouse’s No. 99 Nichels Engineering Dodge Charger
Daytona is the first “winged” stock car to win a NASCAR race on
Sept. 14, 1969, the inaugural event at Alabama International
Motor Speedway.
The Dodge Charger Daytona wins its first NASCAR Grand National race
at Talladega in September 1969. It also wins at Texas International
Speedway that year. The next year, it wins at Atlanta, Michigan and
Darlington. Ironically, it never wins at its namesake track, Daytona.
Buddy Baker is the first driver to officially crack 200 mph in a closedcourse
lap, hitting 200.447 mph at Talladega on March 24, 1970, in the
No. 88 Dodge Charger.
Driver Ray Elder wins the first-ever Winston Cup Series event with a
Dodge Charger, at the Riverside International Raceway road course in
California on Jan. 10, 1971. (Back then, Riverside held the first
event, not Daytona.) Elder — who was a full-time farmer and only
raced part-time — is one of three Dodge drivers to win on-road
courses, the others being Petty and Bobby Allison.
Neil Bonnett, driving the No. 5 Dodge, earns the last win of the first
Charger era on Nov. 20, 1977, passing Petty with five laps to go.
superspeedway. But Petty also reveals
that it was more than simply about a car.
He fondly recalls the sense of community
the Dodge Charger inspired — not
simply among drivers and crews, but
also fans. There was a high level of passion
for the Chargers and the teams that
got the best out of them. And drivers
back then had more time to get to know
fans and other teams.
“When we first started, most
NASCAR people stayed in one or two
motels,” Petty explains. “Now there are
so many people that they don’t really
congregate outside the racetrack. On
the other hand, the sport has gained a
lot. A big crowd back then was 5,000 or
6,000. Now, you have 100,000 fans.”
Even back then, Charger victories
translated to fame and fortune. The
paychecks may not have been what
they are today but, says Petty, they were
still pretty good. “We won more races.
We won more money,” he says. “We
were doing more with cars than anyone
else at that particular time.”
As for the drivers themselves, were
they better back then? While not passing
judgment, Petty extends his admiration
for today’s drivers, a sentiment
echoed by Fernandez. “They were as
skilled then as they are now,” says the
Dodge Motorsports official. “The difference
is that there are so many good
to great drivers out there competing
today — more than 40 on a Nextel
Cup track every single race.”
With so much talent in the mix, what
makes today’s teams rise to the top is
teamwork. “Richard Petty would win by
entire laps,” says Fernandez. “But today
a few seconds will cover much of the field.
With just a 14-second pit stop, you’ll lose
too much position. And in the garage
there’s less room for error. The team
really has to produce a car that’s ready to
race when it’s loaded in the hauler. With
Charger, teamwork from start to finish is
more critical today than ever.” ■
Dodge Motorsports’ Bill Hamilton
contributed to this report.
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