Original hemi dart information

[jack arnew]

Paul thanks for the info on Dover site some realy good drag racing history there. You and all the outher people who have messaged me, have brought up a lot of fond memories THANK YOUI ALL!!!!

[Paul Ceasrine]

Mark J,
My Christmas present came today. Simply AWESOME! Thank you for sharing those rare photo's. Had my head spinning, like a 16 year-old
virgin at a prison rodeo! Damn near everyone of those cars were at Dover (68' thru 70'). Can add a comment or two to everyone. Of course, you had to throw in the SS/EA Ron Mancini 440 Dart. That is getting me to think about going with a 69' 440 Cuda again. Hard to believe anyone
could save Charlie Castaldo's first Dart, maybe related parts, but the
body itself doesn't look to be "copacetic". Again, Mucho Appreciado for the pictures. Happy Thanksgiving too all Hemi Contributors... Jack, your welcome..Loved that car with the Keysones and factory hood. In the dictionary under "Perfect", is a picture of that car
Paul C

[68hemiss]

Paul,
I am glad you liked them - I tried to get most of the cars on your list. Do you see the similarities with the Palmer Dodge Dart and the Castaldo 2nd Dart? Also the progression through S&M, Sam Panutty, Jack Arnew with the Barracuda? This Barracuda was campaigned by S&M but on the paperwork it lists the first owner as Chrysler Corp. Do you ever seeing the Bill Flynn Dart with the yellow stripe and different lettering - this was the first time I had seen that.
M68 - you know I talked to a guy who was in the dealer network and he told me that he was at Prince Chry-Ply when this Barracuda was delivered - he didn't know any more about it though. I will have to call another guy I know in CA that mentioned the car - see what he remembers.
I hope everyone has a safe & Happy Thanksgiving!
Mark J

[Paul Ceasrine]

Mark J,On the Bill Flynn "Yankee Peddler". The first paint job (1968/1969) hasBill Flynn with box lettering. Co-sponsored by County Dodge, New Haven, CT. Ran SS/B, was a staple at Connecticut Dragway (NHRA-track). Could get away with a little more than the visitors. More match-racing their, than most tracks. Still can see the Cherry-Bomb mufflers. The second photo, at New England Dragway looks like 1970'. Car with bee=stripe, but as you said, 69' grille. Name now in script, and car sponsored by Chorches Motors, Manchester, CT, and at the bottom of the door the infamous DEB'S Automotive Performance, Milford, CT. Thats when Bill was running Pro/Stock (70'/71'). The third picture with the yellow bee=stripe, Keystone spinners and Kendall GT-1 sponsor looks like a much later picture. I wonder if thats after the car was sold, and the new owner kept the "Yankee Peddler" and Bill Flynn moniker.PC

[Paul Ceasrine]

Mark J,
The Prince Chrysler-Plymouth (SS/BA) Cuda was the only car to beat
Butch Leal's "Delano Dodge" Hemi Dart in a S/S Eliminator. Meet at Irwindale, summer 68', S/S Eliminator finals. I have to search for the sponsor of the meet. I think the Dart was a runner-up, and the Cuda won the S/S meet. At that time, the SS/BA class had an 11.05 minimum, and the SS/B class had a 10.85 minimum.
Paul

[Paul Ceasrine]

Mark J,
On that Dick Oldfield Dart. In 68'/69' the Dart (photo's with the small white hats on the rear-quarters) was co-sponsored by 'Kenton Dodge'
in central-north Ohio. In 69' the SS/BA car was runner-up to Sox & Martin
in the S/S World Finals (10/69). The "Good Guys" lettering with
'Erie County Dodge Dealers' may actually be 'Erie County' Ohio, though the car is running at Niagara, New York (Erie County).
Paul (More confusion)

[Mopar Steve]

Originally Posted by Paul Ceasrine

Mark J,
On that Dick Oldfield Dart. In 68'/69' the Dart (photo's with the small white hats on the rear-quarters) was co-sponsored by 'Kenton Dodge'
in central-north Ohio. In 69' the SS/BA car was runner-up to Sox & Martin
in the S/S World Finals (10/69). The "Good Guys" lettering with
'Erie County Dodge Dealers' may actually be 'Erie County' Ohio, though the car is running at Niagara, New York (Erie County).
Paul (More confusion)

Paul,

Kenton Dodge was in Kenmore, NY. Right between Niagara Falls and Buffalo.

-Steve

[68hemiss]

Steve,
You are right! Dick never owned the car from what I know and it was owned by the dealers Association. Dick then left ran the Iron Butterfly of Ted Sphear's and then the Motown Missile in 1970.
Mark J

[CrateCamaro]

This car actually sits 5 minutes from my house in a one car garage. I can remember 15 years ago when it sat in his barn covered in chicken **** . Bolt in Mr Gasket roll bar...probably one of the last Hurst Hemi Cudas that never got cut up to keep up with the rules in Pro Stock and Super Stock. Stayed a modified car with a 10in slick untill this guy bought it and tucked it away. Unfortunatly hes been offered mega bucks for it and has turned it down everytime. Its doomed because he will never put it back together and hes not getting any younger. It will probably end up on his brothers shaddy car lot for sale.

[Jason Oldfield]

A point of clarification on my uncle's '68 Hemi Dart:

He didn't ever own it. It was owned by the Erie County Dodge Dealers of Western New York. It really wasn't co-sponsored by Ken-Ton Dodge (which was in Kenmore / Tonawanda, NY, hence the Ken-Ton name, which is a northern suburb of Buffalo, NY, and where me, my dad, and uncle all grew up), as Ken-Ton Dodge was just one of the Erie County Dodge Dealers. I won't say they weren't more prominently involved, as it is possible that is the dealership that my uncle picked up the car from (since that is where he was living at the time), but in theory all of the Dodge dealerships were in it equally.

The car WAS co-sponsored by Jan-Cen Automotive, which is where my uncle worked at the time (formerly owned by Jim Janis, and now owned by his sons, the most famous of which is Mike Janis, who is a multi-time Pro Modified champ). The car was run in both '68 and '69 - '68 was the horrible paint with the cowboy hats. My uncle despised that paint scheme, and was able to convince the Erie County Dodge Dealers to let him repaint the car the maroon and black paint scheme for 1969.





I'm not going to claim these pictures as mine, and I believe the picture of the '69 car is one of Tom Kasch's pictures, so I'll credit him here for that picture, if not for the '68 picture as well.

Lastly, I COULD be wrong, but I don't believe my uncle quit racing the Dart to race the Iron Butterfly. I believe he was racing Ted Spehar's Iron Butterfly BEFORE he race the Dart in '68 and '69, and then when Ted contacted him about coming on board to race this new class called Pro Stock, he stopped racing the Dart, and moved to Detroit to help kick the Motown Missile program off. But, I could be wrong about the succession of events there, as the Iron Butterfly could have been just a temporary thing for my uncle to race while they built the first Missile. I'll ask my uncle next week when I see him at PRI.

One final comment - there shouldn't be ANY questions as to the details behind the Dart my uncle raced, other than what may have happened to it after he stopped racing it. My uncle is still readily accessible, and is more than willing to answer any questions any of you may have.