Sitting just outside Talladega International Speedway, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame should be on your “I need to experience this” list!
There are a handful of Mopar® vehicles inside these walls. A test mule with an extended nose and rear wing so tall and functional it was banned from competition. Two road race-prepped Touring Cars and a Daytona from the ’90s with a storied history, to name a few. I spent the afternoon with all these cars and will break them down in future stories.
Choosing which car to start this series took a lot of thinking. In the end, I went with something extraordinary! So, let’s get started with dessert before dinner!
The 1974 Dodge Charger was a memorable car for Richard Petty and his team. It was the tool allowing them to collect the 1974 NASCAR Championship! Petty Enterprises won a total of 10 races in the 1974 season. The combination of “The King” piloting a ’74 Charger and the Petty Enterprises crew turning the wrenches was so formidable they decided to keep racing the same car for the 1975 season. A decision the rest of the Winston Cup field found more than frustrating!
In 1975, the team won a remarkable 13 races! They kicked off the season with unexpected difficulties at Daytona. A radiator leak saw #43 as many as 8 laps off the lead at one point during the event. Late in the race, Petty came off pit road after one of his stops to top off the leaking radiator and found a drafting partner in Benny Parsons. Petty Enterprises didn’t take a victory home from Daytona in 1975, but they did play a key role in Parson’s win and sent a message to the rest of the garage with a 7th place finish despite their issues with the car. If there was any doubt Petty and the 1974 Charger weren’t there to dominate in 1975, the next week, Petty was back on form leading 444 of 500 laps at the Richmond 500!
Petty’s stats in 1975 truly showcase the dominance he and his team had built over the years with Plymouth and then Dodge. They ended the 1975 season with 13 wins, 21 top fives, 3,159 laps led out of 9,082 laps run, and their 6th out of 7 NASCAR Championships in one of the most impressive careers we will ever see in all of motorsport.
A rather large thank you is extended to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame for giving us access to their collection and Eric Perrine of the Birmingham Mopar Owner’s Club for setting up our visit and being our guide. We know a massive chunk of those following along with us at DodgeGarage can’t resist a road trip ending with an incredible car show. Well, we have good news for all of you! October 27th and 28th, 2023, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame is hosting their Heritage Preservation Event, and everyone is invited. If a few hundred show vehicles with the Hall of Fame and Talladega International Speedway as the backdrop sounds like your idea of a good time, start planning your roadtrip now!
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