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John McGann's blog

SEO Title: Chevrolet Caprice in NASCAR
Posted August 11 2008 06:58 AM by GLAD 
Filed under: Editorials, Chevrolet, National Racing


NASCAR Caprice


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I occasionally take some heat for my unabashed love of full-sized Chevy's, especially the downsized boxy cars manufactured from 1978 to 1990.


Here's proof that a Caprice can look cool. This is Darrell Waltrip driving a Caprice in a Grand National (pre-Winston Cup days) race in 1980. Apparently the teams ran different cars for different tracks in those years, I've seen photos of DW also driving an Olds Cutlass and a Monte Carlo at different races that season. I also found pictures of Rusty Wallace and Harry Grant behind the wheel of '79 Caprice race cars, complete with the aero back glass.

I haven't been able to figure out which track this is. If you know, feel free to reply.

Anyone else think radiused wheel wells and flared quarter-panels would look good on my '86? (The correct answer is "yes.")


Reader Comments:
1. What Chevy needs to do is have a rear wheel drive car
that they have in Nascar. Because the Impala is a front wheel drive car, and of course the Nascar version is a rear-wheel drive. To bad there is no more "race on sunday, sell on Monday". Oh well that is pretty much history now that they have the COT.

MitchellDeMoor    - Posted August 12 2008 04:54 AM

 
2. At least it sort of looks like an actual street car.

The only way to fix NASCAR is to go back to a production-based formula:
Real OEM cars with VIN numbers and body parts that interchange with showroom models. In other words, race on Sunday what you're trying to peddle on Monday.

Until then, NASCAR is as irrelevant to the "real world" as NHRA funny car and Pro Stock racing.

And why is it that Aussie V8 Supercars have a safe means to secure regular, production-style opening doors (as do virtually every major production-based series outside of the U.S.A.), but NASCAR clings to the 1950s "safety" plan of crawling through the window, Dukes-of-Hazzard style?

NASCAR's 50-year grip on American racing technology (with assist from the hidebound NHRA) is one of the major reasons we have fallen behind Europe and Japan in motoring technology. It's also part of the reason that American racing is increasingly detached from production cars.

460-BBF-Turbo-In-CC    - Posted August 12 2008 08:15 AM

 
3. That is exactly what I have always thought. I just get a little upset because before the COT you have to admit the cars were a little different, and if you saw a
Mone Carlo, or Fusion, or Charger win you could go get one from the dealer. Now with the COT the cars are all practically same just with a different front clip.
But I totally agree with you I love watching the V8 Supercars. Then again I like Nascar a lot more. But what an we say you look back at all the 40's, 50's, 60's, and 70's archives and it will never be like that again. At least the cars are a lot safer thought for the drivers.

MitchellDeMoor    - Posted August 12 2008 06:54 PM

 

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