Did this race car ever exist ??

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cwatts

cwatts

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I picked up this model that I thought was cool. It is a Richard Petty Dodge Dart race car. Does anyone know if this car was actually driven by him or was it just a kit made by Petty Enterprises?
 

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Richard never raced that car, it was just a Kit Car that was offered by Chrysler and Petty sold them too or just sponsored them? Not sure on that part.
 
Richard absolutely DID race that car.......but that model depicts a 70-71 style, and I think the car he actually drove had 73-74 sheetmetal on it. Probally the same car tho.
 
It was ran at least once at Dixie speedway in Georgia
 

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Lots of the Kit Cars were built at petty enterprises in the early to mid 70s. You could buy parts or they would build the whole car for you. The one Richard raced a few times was also raced by Joe millikan who was a petty employee at the time, with the number 04 and sponsorship from hays jewlers
 
pettykitcar-vi.jpg


04PettyDartKitCarPettyEnt1975-vi.jpg


GoodOldStuff010-vi.jpg
 
I'm continually surprised with the knowledge base here. Thanks for the info. Was it a bored over 340 as the engine I wonder ?
 
Here's a version of the picture without the website address on it:

efec1ca2888a5c66767e84185b7c7d0b.jpg


kitcarpettyswing74.jpg


Is it just me or do these look like different cars?
 
cwatts said:
I'm continually surprised with the knowledge base here. Thanks for the info. Was it a bored over 340 as the engine I wonder ?
Click to expand...

There were different engine "packages" you could choose from. Yes based on the 340, and then there were the "grand national" engines, 340 based but with a lil more stroke. Basically the same stuff they were running in NASCAR by that time. Eventually X block W2 motors. It was more of a local rule deal, you ran what ever your track allowed.
 
cwatts said:
I'm continually surprised with the knowledge base here. Thanks for the info. Was it a bored over 340 as the engine I wonder ?
Click to expand...

No.

3.454 stoke crank Mopar made for Nascar.
 
Hard to say how many Petty built to run "in house" Could be perhaps only one car, these things sometimes got re-skinned with different sheet metal within a few months. The one at Dixie speedway is def wearing 73-74 metal, but could be the same car shown in the other pic, which I THINK was taken at myrtle beach speedway
 
The earlier version, the 1/4s and door skins look very stockish, the 73-74 one at Dixie speedway the 1/4s and doors look more fabricated from scratch and more "late model" looking
 
"Did this race car ever exist" ??

Yes, it was a 1970 Kit Car, and he Petty's did race it.
 
If I remember correctly you could order the 'kit car' in various stages of completion. I think some were sold as 'rollers'. I do remember someone had run one of them on the dirt tracks in Omaha's Sunset Speedway and Lincoln's Cornhusker Race track. Out of the box it ran up there with the best of the already tried and true points leaders.
 
The grille looks to be from a Demon tho., what exactly is the car to be? I still have not figured that one out!?
 
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