Legendtorial: Dodge ~ Gone With the Wind
by: Tim Leeming
Several years ago, the Statler Brothers had a song called “Do You Remember These?”. As the verses rattled off item after item from the 50s, I could remember each one of the items named. These days, there are e-mail forwardings that provide pictures of things from the 40s, 50s, 60s, and the nostalgic response is requested as you view each picture. Again, I remember each and every one of the subjects of the pictures. It’s not that I have a photographic memory, or even an above average memory; it’s just that most of those things were a part of my life at some point. One such picture is the dinosaur on the Sinclair Gas Station signs. Yes, I remember that. There was a Sinclair station between where I lived and downtown, so every time my family traveled downtown we would pass that station. I sort of miss that old dinosaur but even more, I think, I miss the times my Dad would stop and we would get a Moon Pie and an R.C. Cola. Seriously!
Now, let me throw a few names at you and see how quickly your mind’s eye will call up a picture. Here goes: Packard, Hudson, Henry J., Willys, Nash, Studebaker, Edsel, Desoto. Because this show is Racin’ Through History and because MOST of that history includes me as a fan, no doubt all of you guess those were makes of cars. Those are makes of cars that actually raced in NASCAR, in what is now the Cup Division. Not included in that list are Oldsmobile, Buick, Cadillac, Chrysler, Plymouth, Mercury, Lincoln, T-Bird, Pontiac, all of which once raced for The Cup, but no longer. All of the cars mentioned in the first list are gone, no longer existing. Some of the cars in the second list are still around, but are no longer racing in NASCAR.
Did you know, that in the first NASCAR Strickly Stock race on June 19, 1949, on a Three Quarter Mile dirt track in Charlotte, North Carolina, 33 starters drove 8 different makes of cars, including Lincolns, Kaisers, Chryslers and Oldsmobiles. Did you know that in the very first Southern 500 at Darlington on September 4, 1950, there were 75 starters driving 11 different makes. The first Daytona 500 on February 22, 1959, started 59 cars, hardtops and convertibles, representing 11 different makes which still included Chrysler, Lincoln, Studebaker, Desoto and Edsel. How many of you can remember the musical advertisement “It’s Delightful, it’s delovely, it’s Desoto”! When I started researching this piece, that song began to play through my mind. When I read Edsel, I immediately jumped back to the Andy Griffith episode where Barney returns to Mayberry for the class reunion driving that Edsel Convertible.
Cars have always been a huge part of my life. My mother used to tell the story that when I was just a tiny kid, I had all kinds of toys my grandmother had bought me, but the only one I played with was a little plastic toy convertible car. Even now, I remember that blue plastic body with the wire wheels and the white plastic top you could actually lower. By the time I was just able to see over the car door and look out the window, I could tell each and every car we passed immediately, without looking at the nameplate.
I guess because my uncle Bobby, the man who got me interested in racing, was a big fan of the Mopar, I automatically thought the Mopars were the best! The first car I ever rode in over 100 mph was a 1957 Plymouth 2 door hardtop. The first car I drove over 100 mph was a 1959 Dodge convertible. Both of these cars belonged to Uncle Bobby. There was just nothing to compare to those Plymouths and Dodges. Everytime I watch the Beverly Hillbillies, the thing to which I pay the most attention is the always red Dodge convertible “Miss Jane” drives. I always thought that 1962 Dodge Convertible she drove was the car I most wanted. But, alas, I never got to meet Miss Jane nor drive her car. I did drive a 1962 Dodge once but it was a station wagon! Far cry from the red convertible I longed for.
I often think I pulled so hard for Richard Petty although years because he mostly drove Plymouths and Dodges, but when I think back to pulling for him from his first race, he was driving an Oldsmobile then. It just happened to become very convenient for me that my favorite driver drove my favorite brand of car. I think Frank Craig will agree 
with me that the 1964 Plymouth Fury Hemi was the most awesome car ever. I’ll never forget standing on that dirt hill in the infield at Daytona that cold February day watching the green flag fall on that field and Paul Goldsmith shoving that red Plymouth in front. About lap 7, I think, that Petty Blue number 43 went screaming by and on the way to victory. Now, Plymouth is no more. No longer made and, surprisingly to me, I rarely see one on the road although I do run across some beautiful ones in car shows. Time moves on, as they say, and unfortunately it moved on without the beloved “Mayflower”.
Now we are faced with the departure of Dodge from NASCAR. Roger Penske pulled the plug with Dodge and has decided to campaign Fords next year and Dodge announced that it is officially out of NASCAR. For me, and for many, this is a sad state of affairs. For all race fans, it SHOULD be a sad state of affairs. That reduces the NASCAR fields to three brands, Chevrolet, which seems to dominate, Fords and Toyotos. Realistically, most Ford engines come from Rousch-Fenway, Chevy from Hendrick and Toyotas seem to provide engines to their teams. All the cars look alike with the exception of headlight, taillights and grill decals put on when the cars are “wrapped”. There is no distinction. Put a car out there without sponsors or numbers and you can’t tell one from the other.
Remember that first race I talked about? The Strictly Stock race, which, incidentally was won by a Lincoln after the Ford was disqualified for having heavier springs than stock. Remember the 50s? 60s? 70? Even the 80s still had Fords looking like Fords and Chevys like Chevys even if the “stock” was far removed. Even then, the cars were mostly built from stock bodies and chassis where the people like Harry Hyde, Maurice Petty, Smokey Yunick, Bud Moore, and the Wood Brothers could make each one their own race winner. Remember back when a constant mantra repeated over and over by NASCAR was that racing stock cars improved the cars on the road? What was learned by racing led to numerous improvements in what Detroit offered for sale, both in performance and safety. When is the last time you heard any such speculation offered up by anyone?
My point here is that Dodge is leaving NASCAR. Brad Kesolowski has won three times this year and is poised to run 
for the Cup. The race at Watkins Glen Sunday provided one of the most thrilling finishes in recent NASCAR events and it was a Dodge involved. Only two Dodges running, one driven by Sam Hornish, who I believe is a good guy coming along in NASCAR but not yet “there”, and both finished in the top 10. Dodge was, is, and could remain a winner in the sport. So, why is Dodge leaving?
I don’t claim to be an expert on the subject and I certainly don’t hold stock in Dodge. And for those of you out there ready to pounce on me that Dodge is a division of Fiat Motor Company, I am aware of that too, but the question is, why is Dodge leaving NASCAR? Dodge was gone for a long time, came back with Ray Evernham, and has earned quite a number of wins and percentage wise for the number of Dodge entered, has been quite successful. Please allow me to give you my “take” on the situation, as a fan of NASCAR racing and of Dodge and the heritage of Chrysler Corporation through all those years.
The old slogan of “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” went out the window when all the cars became the same. What benefit was it for the winning car to carry to blue oval of Ford or the bowtie of Chevrolet when the manufactures could not realistically put a picture of their winning car in the showroom. Take the numbers off and the same car in the Chevy showroom could be the same car in the Ford Showroom or Dodge Showroom, or Toyota Showroom. Race fans know they are watching very highly specialty prepared cars, which are nothing like what they can even hope to ever own and don’t really even resemble what they can park in their driveway. Big Bill France made a big issue out of racing “stock cars” because people would come to watch races where they cars they drove to the track were basically the same cars racing ON the track. I realize times have changed and NASCAR has changed with the times, but not for the benefit of the fans, I don’t think, and certainly not for the benefit of the manufacturers. It’s just not the same.
NASCAR has played their hand. Remember the debacle of 1965 when they outlawed the Mopars and attendance was tragic? Darlington drew just over 11,000 people for the Southern 500 that year, which Ned Jarrett won by 14 laps in a Ford. The next year Ford pulled out over arguments for an engine they wanted approved but their pullout didn’t impact the sport as did the Mopar pull out, but it DID have an effect. In my opinion, NASCAR has played their hand with Dodge and now Dodge is gone. Fans are already staying home in droves and finding other things to watch on TV. I have already heard from several fans who say now that Dodge is gone, they are too. Don’t know how many will actually turn their backs, but NASCAR has got to wake up to the fact that the actions it has taken to remove the brand identity from the sport has hurt tremendously and now that one of those brands has chosen to cease spending money in the sport, it can only serve to further damage what is already perceived as a severe weakness in the awareness of NASCAR to the wants and needs of the fans.
So, goodbye Dodge. As Margaret Mitchell said about the antebellum South, Dodge is gone with the wind. Frankly, my dear, I do give a damn.
-Tim
Email: legendtim83@yahoo.com
Twitter: @legendtim83
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My “dream” car has always been a ’58 Plymouth Fury. When I went out to Hot August Nights in Reno several years in a row, it was the one I searched for. Never found one. The second year I went out I started talking to some MOPAR guys and they said it would be really tough to find one. The one thing most people said was, “Well, ya know, they destroyed 23 of them making the movie ‘Christine’”. The third year I came across a mint ’59 Savoy, which was the taxi car version. About four yrs ago I came across the shell of one not far from our house. It made me mad. Mad because my brother was gone and mad because he probably wouldn’t have even attempted to restore it even if I had the money to do so. But when I called my sister-in-law ranting about it, she said she thought he probably would have. It would have been one of those challenges he loved to tackle. Of course, everything would have had to be fabricated and I would have had to sell a kidney to do it, but hey! That’s OK.
My Dad had a ’58 Fury in the Black/White two tone and I always loved that car. It ended up with one of the early Volkswagen’s shoved up under the rear end after a truck lost it brakes coming down a steep grade in front of Warner Bros studios. He replaced it with a Chyrsler that wasn’t near as cool.
Now mind you dear, a ’58 Fury wouldn’t even fit in my garage. Well, it would fit, but you probably couldn’t get the door down. But when I say I’m a MOPAR baby, I’m serious. My first “new” car was a ’68 Charger R/T, Black on Black. Gorgeous! That was followed by a ’70 Challenger R/T that shoved me into the high performance rate on my insurance, in California no less, but Lordy that car was fun! So the Challenger begat a ’71 Charger R/T which begat a ’72 Charger R/T. The ’72′s were just a bad year, and I fell in love with the Trans-Am’s. Can’t imagine why other than they were so similar to the wedge design of the Chargers.
I kept my ’77 T/A for 26 yrs and finally sold it to a restorer. I still have my ’98 and it’s going in tomorrow for an A/C compressor which other than hoses is all it’s ever needed. It’s black and I can’t drive it in 100 + heat. But it still runs great and they’ll have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands.
Then a couple of years ago I caved and went to look into the retro Challengers. The one I fell in love with is far from a hot rod, tho it looks like one, but I don’t need another hot rod. I still have my Trans-Am. 0 to 60 in five seconds? You bet.
Just thought I’d share with you, since I thought you’d appreciate the history.
And for what’s it worth, the best handling vehicles I’ve ever owned were the Chargers. You couldn’t blow them off the road with an F5 tornado. They’d just slice under those big old winds.
But now I have both and I’m really, really happy.
Thanks for the memories.
Carol,
I am with you on everything you wrote. In fact, I still remember the day my dad Came home and upon His arrival down the street I heard this ‘Roaring’ sound of a car accelerating. As I ran out the door to see what the commotion was, I was met by one of my friends across the field from me who also heard the commotion. It turned out that the noise I heard was my dad getting into the rear 4 barrel on the 58 Plymouth Golden Fury he just bought. What a magnificent sound to my ears! I remember it with its’ egg shell white paint with the gold anodized trim down the side with the Fury Emblem emblazed on its’ side. Then my Dad opened the hood and there sat the 350 cu in monster with two in line 4 barrel carbs with oval air cleaners. For a 14 year old, that was something to be admired. Then I looked inside and saw the 150 mph speedometer and the beautiful metallic looking tweed looking interior.That was still in the day where they checked your oil at gas stations and I remember how proud I was to see the look on the face of the attendant when they checked the oil.
My first car a couple of years later was a 57 Plymouth Fury 318 2 – 4 bbl egg shell white with the Gold anodized trim down the side as well. The only difference between the 58 of my dad’s and mine was that I had three on the tree( straight shift on the column)where my dad’s had the 3 speed Push button Torqueflight(sp) transmission.Of course the headlights and tail lights were a little different as well. I was 16 years old and felt like a millionaire.
The next car my dad had was a 64 Plymouth which I felt at the time was the most beautiful car I had ever seen. Then My dad bought a Chrysler New Yorker and more different models of variable Chrysler products on a regular basis until His death in 1999.
I have always been a Chrysler man as that was all my dad ever drove and I developed a love with their styling and serviceability. When I returned home from Vietnam and stationed at Ft. Bragg, I bought a new 69 Dodge Superbee 2 dr. Post Black with Red Interior with a Red ‘Bumble Bee’ stripe around the rear deck and quarter panel I had wanted a HEMI but it was a $600.00 option so I settled for the 383 Magnum.
Through the years I have owned several Cars that I fully restored to their Original condition including a red and white 59 Dodge Coronet 2 dr Hardtop,58 Chrysler Imperial,65 Plymouth Blue Belvedere II 2 dr. Hardtop, a 62 Chrysler 300H white with red interior 413 Ram Induction,a 64 Chrysler 300 sedan, 69 Plymouth Road Runner painted ‘Petty Blue” , several Chrysler Cordovas’s, a new 78 Chrysler LeBaron 2 dr Landau Black with red Leather interior I bought from the factory and had shipped to Germany,a 61 Dodge Lancer 2 Dr sedaIn recent years I have owned 2 Chrysler 300C’s with the HEMI engine of course. Last year I bought a New Dodge Challenger SRT392 with the 470 HP engine, Green with Envy and dealer added 22″ flat black wheels and tires as well as dark tinted glass. It is the Challenger I always wanted upon returning from Vietnam but never could afford.
I relive the days of my youth as everywhere I go, people always are taking phot’s of it with many having their kids pose in front or beside of it. of course I get that Owner’s pride from that.
I am going to drive it from South Padre Island Texas and attend the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte in Oct. I am sure that it will get its’ share of attention along the way. Where else but in America can you afford to drive a car capable of 175+ out of the showroom?
I will miss Dodge from being represented in NASCAR as I have been a LOYAL fan of NASCAR since 58 when I first rooted for a skinny young Richard Petty at the Columbia SC fair grounds. I have always pulled for Richard Petty through the years as He was My HERO!
I , like many others’ have been left a void and now I don’t know if I will go to any races without my beloved Chrysler Corp cars to pull for. I just never got into Chev, Ford and certainly not Toyota! I was excited while attending the race in March at Las Vegas when the 2013 NASCAR Dodge Charger was revealed. it actually looked like the productio9n model and I could hardly wait until next year to come.
Like many others including yourself, I still have my wonderful memories of my beloved MOPAR cars I have enjoyed over the years.
Wow, Morgan, wish you still had that Super Bee. Those were awesome cars.
Thanks for your comments and the wonderful trip down memory lane for ME. I appreciate that.
Tim
Carol,
Thank you for bringing so many of those beautiful Chrysler Corporation cars to my mind’s eye this morning. It’s almost like I can feel those steering wheels in my hand. Of course I have a 1978 Dodge pickup truck, bought new by my Daddy, which I love to drive. Slant six 225. What a vehicle!
I appreciate you taking time to respond to my thoughts.
Tim
I really do feel upset Dodge is taking their ball and running home and I hope that NASCAR doesn’t have to woo a Honda into NASCAR, but, what other options exist?
Thanks Tim,this is the Best article on Dodge/Chrysler departure yet..You and I are truly “kindred spirits”,very well done………..thanks.
Tim,
Thanks for the memory of Barney’s Edsel. Concerning the different makes of cars, I once mentioned to Bobby Allison that I remembered how he could win in anything. He was proud to tell me he’d won in (I think) 8 makes of cars. Whoda thunk it that we’d have Toyotas but no Dodges. Of course, they haven’t been real cars in many years anyway. Still, after years of Chrysler’s absence, I’ve been happy to root for the Dodge decals again since 2001. In my fantasy world, I’d be watching Plymouths at Darlington on Labor Day.
Tony,
Honda or VW. Maybe even Hyundia. Who knows? With the current NASCAR management listening ONLY to young folks with marketing degrees, what can we expect?
As always, I appreciate you taking time to weigh in on my posts.
Tim
Tim, this is one more part of the corporate machine that is today’s NASCAR. Going only on Penske stating that dodge wasn’t offering the long term commitment that he felt he needed, it leaves you wondering what dodge was thinking. Were they playing a bluff game with the captain? How’d that work out? Now where do they stand for commitment and funding? Dodge had a top team with a great young up and coming driver, an engine and chassis builder on par with anyone, and they let it get away from them in what now seems to be an idiotic move. They gave no support to secondary teams to back up Penski, to grow into a bigger presence in NASCAR. I just don’t think that they had any real interest in a long term commitment to NASCAR.
I think Dodge just adopted the NASCAR thinking that whatever they offered was acceptable to Penske not understanding that Penske was as big as they were and that he was committed to NASCAR and winning and would do what it took for him to do that. To under estimate Penske was just not too bright.
One other part of all this that Dodge neglected to see was the fan fall out! We dodge fans fans have long been a pretty loyal bunch and I think Chrysler-fiat is going to learn that rather quickly.
Oh yeah, my first cars, before I was old enough to legally drive, were two 41 plymouths, one cut down and shortened into what then was called a doodle bug, that I tore up the fields in on our dairy farm. Then there were a valiant or two that were just plain fun with the three speed on the floor and then the big day when two of my friends and I ordered three new road runners identical except for the transmissions. I had the automatic they had the four speeds. In the 1/4 the automatic beat them every time, the cam was slightly different in the automatic. Of course they were all three blue.
Will dodge not having a presence in NASCAR make a difference to me? You betcha!
Don,
YOU ARE THE MAN!!! Like me, you can use your imagination to see those Petty Blue Plymouths still on the track, not to mention those Petty Blue and STP Red Dodges. Great days. Gone with the wind. I am sorry that NASCAR has travelled down the path lined with dollar bills. When I get to hang around guys like Rex White and Bobby Allison at some of our Racers Reunion events, I can’t help but think how they build a sport of honor that has now become almost a sport for thieves. I detest the fact that all Fords are Rousch-Fenway. All Chevys are Hendrick or Childress. All Toyotas are…….well, to remain politically correct, I cannot discuss that here.
Thank you for taking time to respond to my Legendtorial. I appreciate your input always.
Tim
Tim, this is another great one, and I knew it would draw a lot of positive response. In fact, it’s so good that you almost have me becoming a Mopar guy… almost. Then, I remember my Plymouth Volare.(circa 1977) That was one of only two four-door cars I ever owned. (The other was a Merc Grand Marquis) The Volare was OK for transporting numerous young bodies to and from a swimming pool on the other side of the County… as long as one was in no hurry. Best description I ever heard of that car was that it keeps you humble. Oh yes it did!!
I did have another Plymouth, a little Turismo hatchback,(1985??) which should be more appropriately called a Mitsubishi than Plymouth, but they put their name on it. That one was a Rolls-Canardly. Rolls down one hill, Canardly make it up the next one. But… it was front-wheel drive and a fantastic little snowplow. You couldn’t stick in in snow if you tried. That was very important at times back in the area where you and I were born. (Nope, I will NEVER let you live that down)
Yes, I know that there were more “fun” cars from Chrysler. ALL of them as a matter of fact, were probably more fun than those two. Such is my fortune with Mopar. Would you care to discuss either one of my T-Birds, with the Ford V-8s? Would you care to try me on the quarter/mile in either one? How about on a snowmobile? I got a kick out of Walt describing how an automatic would whip a shift there.
I had a 340-Skiroule (by Coleman). Not a popular model, to be sure, but it would whip any 440 of any make I ever took it up against. It was in the gearing, I’m sure. No mechanic, but man, did the guys look up to me with that thing… partly in awe but partly in disgust because they couldn’t beat it. (See, I was ALWAYS one of the guys)
Patty Kay,
That Volare could have been worse, could have been a Dodge Magnum! (Although they actually “raced.”) I know what you mean about the Plymouth Mitsubishi. A friend of mine had a Japanese made Dodge colt, probably the same care you yours was. You’re sure right about it going in the snow. Speaking of fun Chrysler cars: The (still new to me) Dodge Challengers tempt me to break the commandment on coveting.
Don, I drove that Volare. Trust me, it could NOT have been worse. “Humble” was the kindest word I remember. There was a little Plymouth to match the little bitty Colt from Dodge, (the cars with the little smiley faces), but it wasn’t the Turismo. Turismo actually “looked” fast and mean. It lied, but it looked great! Can’t remember what the Plymouth smiley face was called, but I never even considered owning one…Colt either. I do have my pride ya know.
Hey! You didn’t bring an argument this time. I’m winning you over, aren’t I?
“And for what’s it worth, the best handling vehicles I’ve ever owned were the Chargers. You couldn’t blow them off the road with an F5 tornado. They’d just slice under those big old winds.”
That’s because they were still building cars that could run 200 in the draft at Daytona.
The shift away from “street” cars is surely centered around safety. They say that there’s just not enough protection in the cockpit compared to the behemoths of the Sixties and Seventies. I don’t know if that’s true, but NASCAR would do well to research the issue so that we can get back to racing stock cars. With all the pressure the insurance companies put on crash testing, you’d think that a manufacturer could make Bristol a good test facility.
Andy,
Do you think it is possible to make a totally stock body appearing race car safe? When I have brought up that subject, I get all the technical response that it can’t be done. I guess I am too simple minded to see where you can’t hang sheet metal (or whatever they are using now) and made in look like a Ford, Dodge, Chevy or Toyota you can buy. I understand there are hardly any two door models left to run, which is a pity.
I do appreciate your comment and input Andy. Thank you for taking time to express your thoughts.