As if that pesky Ray Fox-Junior Johnson Impala with the hand built "production" 427 engine hadn't been headache enough for Holman Moody, they had a nasty surprise waiting on them as they rolled into Daytona fresh off their sweep of Riverside's Motor Trend 500. There was a storm cloud on the horizon, over ten years in the making, with Hemi Thunder rumbling from the former whipping boy Mopar teams in the form of the monstous 426 Hemi engine. This updated design gleaned from the powerful engines used in Carl Keikhaefer's Chrysler 300's in the mid fifties were about to cause some long sleepless nights in Dearborn. With the loss of the beloved Joe Weatherly at Riverside, it seemed that 1964 was gonna be a rough year in more ways than one. They didn't know the half of it.
Ford showed up at Daytona with its "Golden Boy" from the previous season, Fred Lorenzen, as the "top gun" along with team mate Fireball Roberts in this Holman Moody Galaxie. But this year was definately not going to be a repeat of his over $100,000 season of the year before. A few wins along with some hard fought duels and near fatal accident at Daytona marred his enjoyment of this Ford.
While Lorenzen was having a difficult season, a new "King" was being crowned on the superspeedways and the bullrings of the South. While Richard Petty had already made a name for himself on the short tracks, he had taken a back seat on the horsepower intensive superspeedways to the Pontiacs, Chevies and Fords for the first few years of his career but that was about to come to an abrupt end. Here's the car that put the "King" on the throne and took him to the first of many superspeedway wins including his first Daytona 500 victory.
Another driver who benefitted from the newfound horsepower of the Hemi was future champion Bobby Isaac in this bright red rocket from Ray Nichels shop. The quiet shy Isaac let his right foot do his talking and was always a force to be reckoned with, not only on the high banked ovals but also the salt flats of Bonneville. But that's a story for another day.
Closely following Petty across the finish line in second place in the '64 Daytona was "Gentle Jimmy" Pardue in his Hemi Plymouth to solidly answered the question asked by the then current TV show, "Car 54, where are you?" Unfortunately, Jimmy would be caught up in the tragedy that was the 1964 racing season that saw drivers from stock cars and open wheel, front runners and journeymen alike, pay the ultimate price on the altar of speed. Jimmy was lost during a tire testing session at Charlotte in September. He was killed when his Plymouth blew a tire and crashed through the guard rail in almost the same spot that Richard Petty would hit almost a month later. Petty's car stayed in the speedway and he was not seriously injured due, in part,to the strengthening of the railing after Jimmy's crash.
Ford showed up at Daytona with its "Golden Boy" from the previous season, Fred Lorenzen, as the "top gun" along with team mate Fireball Roberts in this Holman Moody Galaxie. But this year was definately not going to be a repeat of his over $100,000 season of the year before. A few wins along with some hard fought duels and near fatal accident at Daytona marred his enjoyment of this Ford. 
While Lorenzen was having a difficult season, a new "King" was being crowned on the superspeedways and the bullrings of the South. While Richard Petty had already made a name for himself on the short tracks, he had taken a back seat on the horsepower intensive superspeedways to the Pontiacs, Chevies and Fords for the first few years of his career but that was about to come to an abrupt end. Here's the car that put the "King" on the throne and took him to the first of many superspeedway wins including his first Daytona 500 victory. 
Another driver who benefitted from the newfound horsepower of the Hemi was future champion Bobby Isaac in this bright red rocket from Ray Nichels shop. The quiet shy Isaac let his right foot do his talking and was always a force to be reckoned with, not only on the high banked ovals but also the salt flats of Bonneville. But that's a story for another day. 
Closely following Petty across the finish line in second place in the '64 Daytona was "Gentle Jimmy" Pardue in his Hemi Plymouth to solidly answered the question asked by the then current TV show, "Car 54, where are you?" Unfortunately, Jimmy would be caught up in the tragedy that was the 1964 racing season that saw drivers from stock cars and open wheel, front runners and journeymen alike, pay the ultimate price on the altar of speed. Jimmy was lost during a tire testing session at Charlotte in September. He was killed when his Plymouth blew a tire and crashed through the guard rail in almost the same spot that Richard Petty would hit almost a month later. Petty's car stayed in the speedway and he was not seriously injured due, in part,to the strengthening of the railing after Jimmy's crash.
Another great one Jerry! Thank you!Jeff