I was over at The Borderline Sociopathic Blog For Boys this morning and found this post, a video from Jay Leno's garage where they track test a '66 Galaxy NASCAR race car.
That got me to thinking about when NASCAR really took off, popularity wise, in the late sixties/early seventies when there was considerable factory support.
Ever seen a Daytona Charger?
How about a Talledega Torino?
These cars were built specifically to compete in NASCAR, and by NASCAR's homologation rules at least 500 cars had to be built and sold, and in the Torino's case only 783 were built. The Daytona Charger barely made the cut at 543. So you probably have never seen one on the street, especially since the Daytona Chargers sell in the half a million dollar range. And UP, depending on equipment.
What if Ford and Chevy went back to the days when what raced at Daytona was available in the showroom?
Sure, you can buy a Malibu. But the one at Daytona is a front-engine, rear-wheel drive V8. The showroom version? Front wheel drive V6. IF you're lucky.
The cars on the track have as much in common with the cars in the showroom as I do with Obama. And that ain't much. And. just for the record, I am the more powerful NASCAR version.
So what about doing a Classic NASCAR; where the cars are, with the addition of some safety items, just like what you can buy off of the showroom floor? Let the manufacturers put some effort into the winning on Sunday, selling on Monday rule, and see what they can come up with.
Even if it winds up just being the Mustangs, Camaros and Chargers battling it out, it will make for some fun racing.
1 comment:
Sign me up. I hate the "Car of Tomorrow" shared chassis and bodywork. It's a joke. I'd say Camry vs. Accord vs. Malibu vs. Fusion - make them keep the chassis and turbocharge the hell out of 'em and let the races begin. (though Mustang v Camaro v Challenger would be more likely and more like the old days of Trans Am
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