1969 Dodge Charger 500 Daytona

By 1968, better aerodynamics and more powerful engines in the competition had reduced if not eliminated the margin enjoyed by Chrysler’s Hemi cars in NASCAR. The big 426-inch powerhouse needed to be able to push a cleaner shape through the air, and while the Charger 500 with its flat grille and faired rear window was a step in the right direction, further work was needed. Dodge’s solution came in the breathtaking new form of the Charger Daytona. Decked out in a knife-edged nosecone and dramatically tall rear wing, the Daytona became an instant NASCAR icon.

• Year: 1969
• Make: Dodge
• Model: Charger Dayton
• Engine: 440ci/375 hp Magnum V8
• Transmission: 4-Speed Manual
• Body Style: 2DR Hardtop Coupe
• Exterior Color: Hemi Orange
• Interior Color: Black Vinyl

The main target of the Dodge Charger Daytona was the NASCAR circuit. Given the long tracks and wide turns of the venues that host stock car races, the engineers at Dodge wanted to craft a car that would hug the road tighter than any other car in competition. So they took their Charger coupe – an already impressive ride that had recently been reimagined as the Charger 500 with little success on the track – and put it in a wind tunnel to help determine what changes they could make to reduce wind resistance as much as possible.

The car featured a low roofline and fastback design with a wraparound rear window. These two attributes piqued the interest of Chrysler’s motorsport department, as it was assumed that they would make the car aerodynamically efficient and capable of taking advantage of the slipstream on the high-speed NASCAR ovals. They had found their contender, or so they thought.

The quality of this restored Daytona prompted the producers of TV’s “American Musclecar” to choose it over 25 other candidates for a 1999 feature. It also was the subject of a January 2001 article in the Mopar enthusiast periodical The Broadcast Sheet, and awarded the prestigious OEM Certification at the Mopar Nationals.

While these machines were designed and destined to be among the greatest to ever participate in NASCAR, their roles as street machines were definitely an afterthought. The Winger Warriors were sold on a limited run, but their role as a car that would be sold to the general public did have one major impact on their final design. In fact, it was consumer considerations that actually birthed the impressive two-foot tall spoiler that hot rod fans today most associate with the line.

It turns out that these spoilers actually contributed very little to the aerodynamics of these vehicles – the only reason they were so distractingly tall was actually so that the trunk on the production model would be able to swing open beneath them.

There have been a lot of great American cars that have raced in NASCAR – do you think the Charger Daytona was the best?