426 Hemi debut win at Daytona?

[Ghoste]

Is this not an anniversary date for the 1964 Daytona and the Hemi coming out party?

[68X426]

Yes, it's the coming out.

It started on February 21, 1964.  Daytona Qualifier #1.

First place: Junior Johnson, driving Ray Fox '64 Dodge
Second place: Buck Baker, driving Petty Enterprises '64 Plymouth
Third place: David Pearson, driving Cotton Owens '64 Dodge

All three Hemi. 

Then same day, Qualifier #2.

First place: Bobby Isaac, driving Ray Nichels '64 Dodge 
Second place: Jimmy Pardue , driving Burton-Robinson '64 Plymouth
Third place: Richard Petty, driving Petty Enterprises '64 Plymouth

All Hemi cars.

Finally, Daytona 500, on February 23, 1964

First place: Richard Petty (Petty Enterprises) '64 Plymouth, leads 184 of 200 laps
Second place: Jimmy Pardue  (Burton-Robinson) '64 Plymouth 
Third place: Paul Goldsmith (Ray Nichels) '64 Plymouth 
Fifth place: Jim Paschal  (Cotton Owens) '64 Dodge 
Ninth place: Junior Johnson  (Ray Fox) '64 Dodge
Eleventh place: Buck Baker (Petty Enterprises) '64 Plymouth 
Fifteenth place: Bobby Isaac (Ray Nichels) '64 Dodge

That's a Hemi party.

Hemi drivers win 24 races that year.  Petty 9 wins, Pearson 8, Johnson 3, Baker 2, Isaac 1, Paschal 1.  And dominate all top three, five and ten finish lists.

[68X426]

Nicely done story at allpar.com on the Hemi introduction.

http://www.allpar.com/history/inside/plymouth-11-nascar.html

[Aero426]

The Daytona win overshadows how much work Chrysler had to do to get a chassis to handle and put that power to work for the rest of the '64 season.     

When Chrysler really got into it in 1963, the chassis people were handed a set of Pontiac race engineered front suspension pieces and were told to make them work on a Plymouth.    When it was pointed out that the geometry was all wrong,  the boss man said, "I didn't ask for your opinion.   I asked you to make these work".     

[500Jon]

Pontiac parts on a PLYMOUTH!

Next they will be running Chevy engines in Dodges...

5J