NASCAR Then and Now - Ben White [12]
By the 1960s, Grand National cars were built for racing, with roll bars, reinforced wheels, and engines that were suitably beefed up to handle 500-mile events on superspeedways. Yet this shot from 1961 of Jack Smith’s No. 46 (1961 Pontiac), Friday Hassler’s No. 96 (1960 Chevrolet), and Ralph Earnhardt’s No. 6 (1961 Pontiac) shows that the cars retained their basic kinship with the cars sold at the local dealership. Note the horsepower numbers emblazoned on the hoods, a hallmark of this period.
By the 1970s, the emergence of big-money sponsorships had changed the look of the cars. Specially designed paint schemes featuring sponsor colors were the norm on all Winston Cup cars. And while the machines continued to evolve internally, the sheet metal was still more or less identical to cars on the street. This 1977 shot from Charlotte Motor Speedway shows Bobby Allison’s No. 12 (AMC Matador) leading Cale Yarborough’s No. 11 (Chevrolet Monte Carlo) and Dick Brooks’ No. 90 (Ford Gran Torino). Note the short rear spoilers attached to the back of the trunk of each car.
The cars are just beginning to look somewhat different than their road car cousins in this 1986 shot. Note the taller rear spoilers on the trunks and the low front spoiler on Bill Elliott’s No. 9 Ford Thunderbird, which extends much farther down than on the production models. Yet Elliott’s car is still distinctively different compared to Dale Earnhardt’s No. 3 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
The pretense of stock cars being based on production models more or less disappeared in the 1990s, as shown by this 1996 shot of Dale Earnhardt’s No. 3 Chevrolet Monte Carlo leading Ernie Irvan’s No. 28 Ford Thunderbird. Other than the somewhat distinguishing front grilles, the cars look more or less the same; however, what the machines lost in personality and similarity to their showroom brethren was more than made up for in the close and exciting racing that characterized the decade.
The Car of Today was another step in the direction toward making the cars safer and more evenly matched. As this shot from 2009 shows, a close look is required to find any features that set apart Kevin Harvick’s No. 29 Chevrolet Impala SS from David Stremme’s No. 12 Dodge Charger. (The front grilles and hood profiles are slightly dissimilar.) Although the latest NASCAR machine has been criticized by some drivers and fans, it has produced tight racing, along with an impressive ability to withstand punishment.
Liveries
In the early days, a car’s livery, or paint scheme, usually included a number and sponsor displayed by way of white shoe polish and tape. But as the sport became more professional, teams naturally began to look toward certain colors to distinguish them from the rest, with Richard Petty’s mix of medium blue and white “Petty Blue” color being the most famous example. By the 1970s, a car’s livery was mostly determined by the sponsor’s colors. Today’s paint schemes are far more elaborate than ever; in fact, most of the colorful words and logos are not even paint at all: They are vinyl graphics created on a computer.
This Oldsmobile’s rather crude markings seem to indicate that the driver or owner did not employ the services of an experienced painter. The strips of tape could easily be removed, however. Wally Campbell drove this 1950 Oldsmobile to 52nd place (out of 75 cars!) at the 1950 Southern 500 at Darlington, earning $100 to bring back to Trenton, New Jersey. Note the leather belt keeping the driver’s side door from swinging open during the race.
When team owner Carl Kiekhaefer decided to enter NASCAR, he didn’t step in halfway. His fleet of Chrysler 300s