Rapid Transit System. Haven't heard that one in a while. Plus'Plymouth is out to win you over this year' and 'Plymouth makes it.' Yep, great days, those were.
Keep in mind that the NHRA kept regulating Hemi's off the track because nothing else could catch them! NASCAR did the same thing in 1966 then in 1971 demanded that the wing cars use a 355 CID engine against Ford and Chevy's big blocks. One guy, I can't remember his name, was still competitive in a Superbird in 1971. You cannot judge the success of any manufacturer just buy looking at the wins in the record books!
Amen Randall... Most do not know the facts and history like you and I do! www.aerowarriors.com/305_daytona.html The Little Engine That Almost Did On Sunday afternoon, February 14, 1971, Richard Brooks finished NASCAR's 13th annual Daytona 500 two laps down and six places behind winner Richard Petty. Brooks' seventh place finish was arguably the most memorable of his sixteen year NASCAR career - not for where he finished that day, but for what he finished, the NASCAR Aero Wars. Brooks' car, a Dodge Daytona, was the last of its kind in NASCAR. The 1969 and 1970 seasons saw a number of exotic factory race cars appear on the NASCAR tracks, much to the dismay of NASCAR's man-in-charge, Big Bill France. Tired of the many problems (at least from France's perspective) brought to the series from a quickly escalating Chrysler/Ford duel, France penned rules for the 1971 season to kill the factory aero cars. These ultra low production racers, the Dodge Charger 500, Dodge Charger Daytona, Plymouth SuperBird, Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II and Ford Torino Talladega were limited by France to a 305 cubic inch power plant in 1971 - more than 120 cubic inches less than legal for all other bodies eligible to compete. NASCAR car owner Mario Rossi had previously fielded a 426 powered Dodge Daytona with Bobby Allison at the wheel. For 1971, Rossi decided to start the new year right by thumbing his nose at France - he would enter a Dodge Daytona in the 1971 Daytona 500 with the impossibly small 305 engine. This time second year driver Richard Brooks would be at the helm and well known engine builder Keith Black would assemble the engine. On Thursday, February 11th, Brooks started fifth and finished third in the second Daytona 500 qualifier, leading one lap during the race and pocketing $550. Three days later, starting eighth in the 40 car Daytona 500 field, Brooks managed to lead five laps at various points through the race. Things were looking good for the Daytona until it suffered serious injury after a collision with Pete Hamilton's car. Brooks eventually finished seventh, $3,125 richer for the effort, while also gaining the distinction of being the last to drive a 1960's era factory aero car on the NASCAR tracks. The Rossi Daytona never raced again, but if not for Brooks' collision with Hamilton, it might have been remembered as the Daytona with the little engine that did - did win the 1971 Daytona 500, that is. Frank Moriarty interviewed Richard Petty for his book, Supercars - The Story of the Dodge Charger Daytona and Plymouth SuperBird. Petty talked about using a 305 engine in his SuperBird in 1971. Perhaps his answer was as good as any as to why the 305 Daytona never competed again: "We never even considered it...Well, I don't want to say we didn't look at it initially, but we looked at the horsepower of the 305 engine and the horsepower of the 426 and I said, 'Hey, I don't care how good that body is, it can't overcome that.' So we just passed on it." With just two race appearances in a career spanning four days, not much information was recorded and even less remains about the 305 Daytona.
RT440Dodge Awesome article! I was way off remembering it being a 355 cid. Something else you may want to take a look at is Bill France telling a Chrysler rep that his NASCAR fans wanted to see the Fords and Chevy's race and the Chevy's win. I can't remember where I read this, might have been in an old Mopar Performance Engine or Chassis book. Hey thank for the info!
+Randall Price could you be thinking of the late great Bobby Isaac ? drove the K&K insurance Dodge . . .he set a lap speed record that stood till '83 . . .
Just Awesome.. 🇺🇲👍
Rapid Transit System. Haven't heard that one in a while. Plus'Plymouth is out to win you over this year' and 'Plymouth makes it.' Yep, great days, those were.
Mighty Mopars they were!
Keep in mind that the NHRA kept regulating Hemi's off the track because nothing else could catch them! NASCAR did the same thing in 1966 then in 1971 demanded that the wing cars use a 355 CID engine against Ford and Chevy's big blocks. One guy, I can't remember his name, was still competitive in a Superbird in 1971. You cannot judge the success of any manufacturer just buy looking at the wins in the record books!
Amen Randall... Most do not know the facts and history like you and I do!
www.aerowarriors.com/305_daytona.html
The Little Engine That Almost Did
On Sunday afternoon, February 14, 1971, Richard Brooks finished NASCAR's 13th annual Daytona 500 two laps down and six places behind winner Richard Petty. Brooks' seventh place finish was arguably the most memorable of his sixteen year NASCAR career - not for where he finished that day, but for what he finished, the NASCAR Aero Wars.
Brooks' car, a Dodge Daytona, was the last of its kind in NASCAR. The 1969 and 1970 seasons saw a number of exotic factory race cars appear on the NASCAR tracks, much to the dismay of NASCAR's man-in-charge, Big Bill France. Tired of the many problems (at least from France's perspective) brought to the series from a quickly escalating Chrysler/Ford duel, France penned rules for the 1971 season to kill the factory aero cars. These ultra low production racers, the Dodge Charger 500, Dodge Charger Daytona, Plymouth SuperBird, Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II and Ford Torino Talladega were limited by France to a 305 cubic inch power plant in 1971 - more than 120 cubic inches less than legal for all other bodies eligible to compete.
NASCAR car owner Mario Rossi had previously fielded a 426 powered Dodge Daytona with Bobby Allison at the wheel. For 1971, Rossi decided to start the new year right by thumbing his nose at France - he would enter a Dodge Daytona in the 1971 Daytona 500 with the impossibly small 305 engine. This time second year driver Richard Brooks would be at the helm and well known engine builder Keith Black would assemble the engine.
On Thursday, February 11th, Brooks started fifth and finished third in the second Daytona 500 qualifier, leading one lap during the race and pocketing $550. Three days later, starting eighth in the 40 car Daytona 500 field, Brooks managed to lead five laps at various points through the race. Things were looking good for the Daytona until it suffered serious injury after a collision with Pete Hamilton's car. Brooks eventually finished seventh, $3,125 richer for the effort, while also gaining the distinction of being the last to drive a 1960's era factory aero car on the NASCAR tracks. The Rossi Daytona never raced again, but if not for Brooks' collision with Hamilton, it might have been remembered as the Daytona with the little engine that did - did win the 1971 Daytona 500, that is.
Frank Moriarty interviewed Richard Petty for his book, Supercars - The Story of the Dodge Charger Daytona and Plymouth SuperBird. Petty talked about using a 305 engine in his SuperBird in 1971. Perhaps his answer was as good as any as to why the 305 Daytona never competed again: "We never even considered it...Well, I don't want to say we didn't look at it initially, but we looked at the horsepower of the 305 engine and the horsepower of the 426 and I said, 'Hey, I don't care how good that body is, it can't overcome that.' So we just passed on it."
With just two race appearances in a career spanning four days, not much information was recorded and even less remains about the 305 Daytona.
RT440Dodge Awesome article! I was way off remembering it being a 355 cid. Something else you may want to take a look at is Bill France telling a Chrysler rep that his NASCAR fans wanted to see the Fords and Chevy's race and the Chevy's win. I can't remember where I read this, might have been in an old Mopar Performance Engine or Chassis book. Hey thank for the info!
+Randall Price could you be thinking of the late great Bobby Isaac ? drove the K&K insurance Dodge . . .he set a lap speed record that stood till '83 . . .
If this is part 1 where are the other parts??