Nascar wins

[C500]

How many wins did the 69 Charger 500 have in Nascar?

[charger500440]

Anyone who is a Charger 500 afficionado should hold a special fondness for the late Bobby Isaac. Here are my "unofficial" Charger 500 Nascar stats. I'm sure someone on this site can verify these:

Total Charger 500 wins = 24 (20 in 1969, 4 more in 1970)
Bobby Isaac totaled 20 wins in his #71 K&K Insurance C500, Bobby Allison tallied the other 4 in his #22 Mario Rossi C500
Note: Isaac's 4 wins in 1970 may have come in re-bodied 500's or the race results may simply be incorrect. For example, Bobby Allison is credited with winning the July Bristol, TN race in a '69 500 but photos of the race clearly show it's got 1970 front end pieces.

Worth noting, race results from 1969 illustrate Chrysler's frustration with the 500. Despite sweeping the front row at the 1969 Daytona 500 and nearly winning the race, Ford dominated every speedway and superspeedway race that year. Bobby Isaac won 17 of the 50 races he entered but all were won on short tracks with the exception of the last event - the Texas 500 (at Texas World Speedway). But that was won in a K&K Daytona. The second ever Dodge Daytona win in Nascar. Pearson won the '69 Championship with Petty (in a Ford) finishing second. That would change in 1970 as Bobby Isaac won his first (and only) GN Championship...

[C500]

Anyone who is a Charger 500 afficionado should hold a special fondness for the late Bobby Isaac. Here are my "unofficial" Charger 500 Nascar stats. I'm sure someone on this site can verify these:

Total Charger 500 wins = 24 (20 in 1969, 4 more in 1970)
Bobby Isaac totaled 20 wins in his #71 K&K Insurance C500, Bobby Allison tallied the other 4 in his #22 Mario Rossi C500
Note: Isaac's 4 wins in 1970 may have come in re-bodied 500's or the race results may simply be incorrect. For example, Bobby Allison is credited with winning the July Bristol, TN race in a '69 500 but photos of the race clearly show it's got 1970 front end pieces.

Worth noting, race results from 1969 illustrate Chrysler's frustration with the 500. Despite sweeping the front row at the 1969 Daytona 500 and nearly winning the race, Ford dominated every speedway and superspeedway race that year. Bobby Isaac won 17 of the 50 races he entered but all were won on short tracks with the exception of the last event - the Texas 500 (at Texas World Speedway). But that was won in a K&K Daytona. The second ever Dodge Daytona win in Nascar. Pearson won the '69 Championship with Petty (in a Ford) finishing second. That would change in 1970 as Bobby Isaac won his first (and only) GN Championship...

Thanks for posting 

[Aero426]

Note: Isaac's 4 wins in 1970 may have come in re-bodied 500's or the race results may simply be incorrect. For example, Bobby Allison is credited with winning the July Bristol, TN race in a '69 500 but photos of the race clearly show it's got 1970 front end pieces.

This is because the race results typically use the car submitted on the entry form well in advance of the event.  They may have entered it as a 500, but showed up with a 70 Charger.

[Mike DC]

   
Not sure why they would do that.  The C500 had to be faster, at least on paper. 

[Aero426]

   
Not sure why they would do that.  The C500 had to be faster, at least on paper. 

Because Dodge would prefer that teams race the current year sheet metal at places where aerodynamics were not a factor. 

[41husk]

That makes sense with the "win on Sunday sell on Monday" game plan.

[charger500440]

   
Not sure why they would do that.  The C500 had to be faster, at least on paper. 

You're probably right, aero-wise. If I had to guess it'd be because the 71 car was a factory car. They'd have run a Polara if that's what the Dodge management wanted (and Nascar approved it)...

[wingman(22)]

Am I missing something? Based on results I have found for 1969, Bobby won Bristol in March of 1969, North Wilkesboro in April of 69, Richmond in Sept. of 69, Middle Georgia in Nov. of 69.
Why would they have a 70 body at Bristol in March when the body was not even out yet?
Maybe I am wrong on the races in 1969. But that is what I see. I would have to double check Greg's book also.

[charger500440]

The wins in 1969 are not the issue, it's the 4 in 1970 that are questionable as his entry is listed as a '69...

[Highbanked Hauler]

How many wins did the 69 Charger 500 have in Nascar?

     I thought the only C500 win was one of the twin 125'S..

[Arnie Cunningham]

Not to highjack the thread, but on a somewhat similar note (actual NASCAR race vehicles), someone asked me what the race ready aero cars weighed and I couldn't come up with an answer.  Anyone know?  Was the a minimum weight for all cars?

[odcics2]

Not to highjack the thread, but on a somewhat similar note (actual NASCAR race vehicles), someone asked me what the race ready aero cars weighed and I couldn't come up with an answer.  Anyone know?  Was the a minimum weight for all cars?

3,900 pounds was the rule in 1970, aero or not.

[odcics2]

   
Not sure why they would do that.  The C500 had to be faster, at least on paper. 

You're probably right, aero-wise. If I had to guess it'd be because the 71 car was a factory car. They'd have run a Polara if that's what the Dodge management wanted (and Nascar approved it)...

Polaras were approved as a Category 1 car for Nascar.   

[Mike DC]

Because Dodge would prefer that teams race the current year sheet metal at places where aerodynamics were not a factor.  

That sounds logical.  Probably right.  


The factory's logic wasn't always very consistent.  The whole premise of the aero models was that it was better to win with a customized racer than lose with a stock body.  If aero model NASCAR success was only boosting the sales of street production aero models, they would never have bothered to create the aero models.


They must have been pretty satisfied with the stock non-aero body's ability to win at low speeds.  

[Aero426]

Because Dodge would prefer that teams race the current year sheet metal at places where aerodynamics were not a factor.  

That sounds logical.  Probably right.  


The factory's logic wasn't always very consistent.  The whole premise of the aero models was that it was better to win with a customized racer than lose with a stock body.  If aero model NASCAR success was only boosting the sales of street production aero models, they would never have bothered to create the aero models.


They must have been pretty satisfied with the stock non-aero body's ability to win at low speeds.  

In simple terms, the race program existed just so they could advertise in headlines that "Dodge Wins!"     That would be regardless of car.

For all intents and purposes, the Daytona was a new model for 1970.    The 500 was a full year old car.    It's hard to advertise a 1969 car in 1970.    

I do not think that there was a hard and fast edict from Dodge on the matter.   But someone like Frank Wylie probably spoke to Harry Hyde asking that at certain events, they run the '70 Charger where there would not be a performance penalty.  As K & K was the only full support Dodge team competing for the championship,  you did not see a lot of 1970 Chargers  run by other teams.  

[charger500440]

First off, I should have given credit where credit is due. My research was done using the published efforts of Greg Fielden.

Re: the question " I thought the only C500 win was one of the twin 125's", that's partially true. Bobby Isaac won the 1969 125-mile qualifier in a C500, the only speedway race win the C500 ever recorded. All the others were on short tracks. Not to throw cold water on Bobby's Daytona win but aside from Petty's Torino, all the strong Fords ran in the other 125-mile qualifier. Including eventaul 500 winner LeeRoy Yarbrough, Pearson, D. Allison, Foyt and Cale Yarborough.

Perhaps most disappointing was pole sitter Buddy Baker parked his C500 after only 2 laps in that qualifier. How cool would it have been to see Baker's C500 take on that group of Fords and come away with a victory?

One last note, Buddy won the Daytona 500 pole and finished 5th in the race (2 laps down). His payday for all that was only $10,050. A last place finish in the 2015 500 netted Landon Cassill $262,390...

[odcics2]

Fastest qualifier was the Engineering 500, DC-93, entered as a Nichels car & numbered as "99" with Goldsmith driving. Too bad the number wasn't put up on Pole Day. Goldie crashed out with a blown tire about 63 laps into the 500.