In
celebration of historic accomplishments by the famous winged cars at Talladega
Superspeedway 45 years ago, the track will host more than 75 of the special
edition vehicles during the “Aero Warrior Reunion” parade laps around the
2.66-mile mammoth track prior to the start of the CampingWorld.com 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race this
Sunday, Oct. 25.
Prior to
Sunday's CampingWorld.com 500, two
parade laps will be run as a tribute to the late Buddy Baker, who became the
first driver in history to eclipse the 200-mph barrier on a closed course
circuit at Talladega on March 24, 1970, driving the No. 88 Dodge Charger
Daytona. In addition, the Aero Warrior Reunion at Talladega will be an
acknowledgment of Pete Hamilton’s sweep of both 1970 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
races, piloting the No. 40 Plymouth Superbird for Petty Enterprises.
Designed
specifically for NASCAR racing, the winged car had a smoothed-out body, a sleek,
front nosecone and an iconic rear aluminum wing, mounted on tall vertical
struts. This wing towered above all other production spoilers, allowing the
cars to be superior aerodynamically. Richard Brickhouse actually won the first
NASCAR race at Talladega in 1969, piloting a winged Dodge Daytona.
The
Aero Warrior’s Reunion consists of street-legal vehicles, as well as a
collection of winged stock cars that competed at Talladega. The stock cars
scheduled to be at Talladega include the 1970 No. 71 Dodge driven by NASCAR and
International Motorsports Hall of Famer Bobby Isaac, the famed No. 43 Superbird
driven by NASCAR’s “King,” Richard Petty and the No. 7 Superbird of Ramo Stott,
who swept both ARCA races at Talladega in 1970. Other significant race cars are
also expected.
Before
heading to Talladega, the Aero Warrior’s Reunion will begin on Friday at the
Wellborn Musclecar Museum, owned by car enthusiasts’ Tim and Pam Wellborn, in
Alexander City, AL. The fun-filled day will feature some of the most legendary
names in Aero Warrior history.
On
Sunday, the attention will be on Baker, who passed away in August at the age of
74. Each car in the parade laps will sport a special Buddy Baker sticker
affixed to the windshield, honoring the man known as “Lead Foot”. Baker’s
monumental official record speed of 200.447 mph in 1974 made him a legend,
something that he was especially proud of in his career.
“We
had the winged cars and the big question was who could get to 200 mph first,”
remembered Baker, an International Motorsports Hall of Famer. “Dodge called and
asked me if I was interested in going to Talladega to try to accomplish it and
I said ‘you bet.’ Bill France (builder of Talladega Superspeedway and President
of NASCAR) was there also. I think it was the third lap around the track where
we hit 200.447 mph.”
“I
came in and said ‘let’s dial this thing up, really set the timing on up, and
set a record they will remember.’ The crew said ‘no because the next big
criteria would be 300 mph.’ I said ‘put it back on the truck.’ It is one of
those records no one can take away from you.”
While
he didn’t win in 1970 in a winged car (finished 12th and fifth at
TSS), Baker won four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at NASCAR’s biggest and
baddest track. He became the first driver in history to win three consecutive
events at Talladega, sweeping both NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 1975 and the
spring event in 1976. He topped it off with an impressive triumph in 1980,
driving his infamous No. 28 “Gray Ghost” paint scheme.
Talladega’s
weekend kicks off on Friday, Oct. 23 with practice sessions for both the fred’s 250 Powered by Coca-Cola and
the Camping World.com 500.
Saturday’s slate includes Foodland/Food Giant qualifying for the NSCS, as
well as qualifying for NCWTS. The high-noon green flag for the fred’s 250 Powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series race will be followed in the evening by Talladega’s traditional
infield concert, featuring award-winning Mercury Nashville recording artist
Easton Corbin. Sunday’s CampingWorld.com
500 gets the green flag at 1:30 p.m. CDT.
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