NASCAR cars in Europe

[medius]

Found this photo on Facebook uploaded by Geoff Woodward and it got me thinking. Has anyone bought a NASCAR Cup Car or the next tier down (Nationwide) and raced them in the UK? I know a few have come over for the Goodwood Festival of Speed though. I don't know the details of the photo but something triggered in my mind that it could have been taken in the UK.

The cars over there filter down to club/local racers don't they?

[Vernon Head]

I'm sure in the early 90's I saw that car demostrated at Ringwood raceway.

Or was it a dream!!!

[Tim Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by Vernon Head

I'm sure in the early 90's I saw that car demostrated at Ringwood raceway.

Or was it a dream!!!

Possibly not a dream. At a Brands Hatch Thundersaloon round in '92 Rod Birley demonstrated a Darrell Waltrip Chevy Lumina that was to be run, and after a quick google it seems his '92 car was in the colours in the photo. Maybe it went off to some other events?

[Moosehead]

I know there's at least one fairly recent NASCAR and also a Craftsman Pick up residing in Switzerland which are used for hillclimbs. Will try to find the pics.

[Chessmsport]

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...00002280598592 and http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BUICK-Regal-NA...ht_1220wt_1139

[Al Weyman]

I have a 1977 NASCAR spec (Banjo Matthews tube chassis) IROC Camaro in my yard. This car was bought over with a 2nd in the early 80's and was used in the original ASCAR series in the UK. The cars also featured in a few Thundersaloon races and these is footage of the car(s) on YouTube. When I bought the car about 15 years ago it had Lynton Trailer stickers on the side.

[D-Type]

Didn't a couple of NASCAR cars run at Le Mans a few years ago?

[Broadclystboy]

Way back in August 1968 Martin Birrane brought his Ford Fairlane to the special saloon car race at the Crystal Palace. This was advertised in the reports at the time as being a Nascar racer but I've never seen any further info.

In any event the car lived up to the brake reputation of it's US relatives and tried (nearly succeeding) in working its way through the sleepers at North Tower - I remember the marshalls ducking from the splinters flying their way.

An expensive meeting at North Tower, with Alain de Cadanet writing off his Ferrari Dino 206S, ditto Mike d'Udy and his Lola T70 Mk3 GT.

[Graham Clayton]

Originally Posted by D-Type

Didn't a couple of NASCAR cars run at Le Mans a few years ago?

D-Type,

Yes, two NASCAR stock cars entered the 1976 Le Mans 24 Hours:

http://www.motortrend.com/classic/fe...ans/index.html

http://www.racingsportscars.com/phot...-06-13-004.jpg

http://www.racingsportscars.com/phot...-06-13-090.jpg

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by Graham Clayton

D-Type,

Yes, two NASCAR stock cars entered the 1976 Le Mans 24 Hours:

http://www.motortrend.com/classic/fe...ans/index.html

http://www.racingsportscars.com/phot...-06-13-004.jpg

http://www.racingsportscars.com/phot...-06-13-090.jpg

I hadn't heard that story before, pretty interesting.

I actually saw Hershel McGriff race 2 years ago when he was 81 years old. I can't remember how he finished but it wasn't at the back.

[KA]

Originally Posted by Tim Wilkinson

Possibly not a dream. At a Brands Hatch Thundersaloon round in '92 Rod Birley demonstrated a Darrell Waltrip Chevy Lumina that was to be run, and after a quick google it seems his '92 car was in the colours in the photo. Maybe it went off to some other events?

Funnily enough I think there might have been another NASCAR demo at Brands in the 90s apart from the one you mentioned?

Unless I''m thinking of the Rod Birley demo you mentioned, I think I remember one of the BTCC drivers doing a few demo laps in a NASCAR at a BTCC meeting, in the mid-90's.

My memory may be unreliable on this, but I think it was Paul Radisich who drove it for the demo, when he was driving for Ford in the BTCC- suggesting the NASCAR was of Ford rather than GM origin. Valvoline sponsorship rings a bell, which would make sense- IIRC they sponsored both the BTCC Mondeos and Mark Martin in NASCAR around that period

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by Broadclystboy

Way back in August 1968 Martin Birrane brought his Ford Fairlane to the special saloon car race at the Crystal Palace. This was advertised in the reports at the time as being a Nascar racer but I've never seen any further info.

Quite piossibly was a NASCAR, I think the Willment entered Galaxies of the early 60's were NASCAR steeds, and there was an Alan Mann run Holman & Moody built Fairlane over here at some point late that decade that I think Alan raced himself at Brands?

Wonder if the Birrane car was the same one?

[Tim Wilkinson]

Where was the photo in post1 taken? There aren't many left-handers like that in the UK. Oulton, or Cadwell?

[chunterer]

Could that be Oulton in reverse???

[slummingangel]

I know there's two team ireland nascars in the mondello park museum. I don't know if they've been used on track in europe though

[Tim Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by slummingangel

I know there's two team ireland nascars in the mondello park museum. I don't know if they've been used on track in europe though

Was one of these from '91, when Martin Birrane was planning some Winston Cup races?

There's an article in Autosport (with picture of John Paul Jr with a black mondello park liveried car) in June '91 about Birrane wanting to break into Nascar, and saying he had planned to race at Daytona in the late 60s or 70s.

Car was reported as an ex-Dale Earnhardt Chevy Lumina.