
The Chrysler Corporation wanted to dominate NASCAR races, but this was no easy feat. At the beginning of the 1960s, the 426 Hemi came into being. It did well during Chrysler tests, pushing cars to 700 horsepower, which was about 100 over competitor Ford.
The problem arose when the 426 block could not handle the range of power. They discovered it couldn’t finish a race without falling apart.
To make matters worse, Ford came out with the first Aero Warrior, the 1969 Ford Torino Talladega. This effectively pushed Chrysler out of the running for NASCAR supremacy. Luckily, an engineer named Larry wouldn’t have it.
Larry, the lead engineer on the Daytona Project, did what some might call a miracle. With very little time and funding, he turned the Dodge Charger into the Dodge Charger Daytona.
After trial and error (and even a consultation with astronauts), the record-breaker-to-be was done. The Dodge Daytona would have a metal sheet nosecone and a 23-inch wing stabilizer on the rear deck, to name a couple crucial modifications.
March 24, 1970
Buddy Baker raced the #88 Dodge Daytona into the record books in 1970. At Lap 29, Buddy reached 199.870 miles an hour, beating Charlie Glotzbach’s Talladega record.
Lap 30 sealed history. Buddy timed out at 200.096. The Dodge Daytona was the first car to break the 200 MPH barrier. While Buddy raced well that day, Larry became an unsung hero. If not for his skill and determination, there wouldn’t have been a car to race. Winged Warriors is his story, and the story of this miraculous piece of engineering, the 1969 Dodge Daytona.