Twisted facts - Or: Nomen non est omen
05/04/2024
In the 1969 season, the "Aero War" between Chrysler and Ford famously escalated. In order to gain the upper hand in the top league of the increasingly fast US touring car series, the NASCAR Grand National Series, the regulations were stretched to the bursting point by both rivals. As only purchasable production cars with a minimum number of 500 units were allowed to take part in the races, both companies produced special models of their less streamlined mid-size coupés that were optimized in terms of aerodynamics.
Ford launched the Torino Talladega, named after the brand new superspeedway in Alabama. Chrysler countered in the middle of the season with the Dodge Charger Daytona, whose name was derived from the forefather of all high-speed ovals: the Daytona International Speedway in Florida. However, the course of the 1969 season showed that the christening sponsors in Michigan should have given a little more thought to the fast-paced model names, as neither of the two winning types so confidently named lived up to their epithet.
The Daytona 500 on February 23, 1969 was won by "LeeRoy" Yarbrough of all people in a Ford Talladega. Victory in the Talladega 500 on September 14, 1969, on the other hand, went to Richard Brickhouse in a Dodge Charger Daytona. Irony of fate, I guess you'd call it...
