43 Jr 65 Cuda

I'm an 18 year old kid who loves racing and I have been in a Junior Dragster for 6 years, I heard to old guys at the track this weekend talking about Richard Petty having a drag car at one time so I did a little looking. Does anyone on here have any info on that car?

Eddie

 

Try this,BTW,,at that time he was referred to as Dick Petty.HRP

http://theselvedgeyard.wordpress.co...d-petty-the-king-of-nascar-turned-drag-racer/

 

Pettys Barracuda drag car was written up in Hot Rod as it was being built. It ran for a short time. I remember reading it crashed, killing its driver and it was never fixed by the Pettys. Its been alot of years since I read it ; so possibly I am wrong. You really should post in the intro section ,If you haven't already. Welcome to the HAMB

 

I believe there was a accident and a child was killed. HRP

 

If you cant out run em....outlaw em. Hot rod had build article on car...thought i read someone dug the car up?

 

http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.com/mmo12007.html

 

Not a totally accurate article.... The Hemi wasn't a 'production' motor in '65, not being installed in any cars available to the general public and neither was the Ford SOHC motor or Chevrolet Mark big-block (the 396 version of the latter was available, but the 427 wasn't 'production' until '66). NASCAR saw this as getting away from the 'stock' car image they were trying to project and told all the manufacturers that they had to actually showroom sell at least 500 cars with these motors for them to be legal. GM and Chrysler did this in '66 as their pushrod motors were relatively inexpensive to build, but the SOHC reportedly cost Ford about $10K each to build and it was never seriously considered for a production car.

 

Correct, I do think Petty was the only driver and a rear wheel got loose from a broken axle and went into the crowd. These facts are as I remember reading about at the time. I could be mistaken. I think this was during Chryslers boycott of NASCAR due to the Hemi being disallowed by NASCAR The Cuda was called 43JR. and was painted the Petty Blue. It was a great looking racer!

 

Thats correct. IIRC a non-sanctioned track in Georgia? Pretty sure I have the Hot Rod article, I will try to dig it up. Started out with a cross-ram, wound up with injectors.

 

I stand corrected , thank you. Like I said a lotta years... Was the car ever redone?

 

From what I heard, They dug a hole behind the barn/shop and buried the complete wreckage.

 

pics i found.

 

I love these stories!

 

There were 2 cars built, from what I have found out, The second car was in TN around the early 70's

 

In the one article I read, it says the original car was supercharged?

 

Here are some threads.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=419326&highlight=petty+barracuda

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=453770&highlight=petty+barracuda

 

Here's what the car looks like today (its the hulk to the left), compliments of google...

 

I've read that this is it? I can't really see it too well on my phone


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that was a cool drag car, i saw it run @ concord drag strip the one season that it ran in concord n.c. it even had petty blue tinted windows.i think king richard got in trouble with NASCAR @ that time-thats why he drag raced.(it happens to all of us)...........