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Automotive Lifestyle
REVIEWED: “Proving Ground: A History of Dodge, Chrysler, and Plymouth Racing”
Gregg Leary looks at Jim Schild's exploration of Mopar performance and racing heritage.
Gregg Leary  |  Posted December 14, 2010   Charlotte, NC
Chrysler's colorful racing history is the focus of Proving Ground. (Illustration: SPEED)
The cover photograph of Jim Schild’s book, Proving Ground: A History of Dodge, Chrysler, and Plymouth Racing, immediately grabbed my attention. Kurt Busch’s “winged” Car of Today lines up next to a trio of original Chrysler “winged cars” of yesteryear on the high banks of Daytona. My mind contemplated …“If only”… and “Wouldn’t it be cool if that could happen in real life? Which ‘winged warrior’ would win?”

The back jacket copy proclaims: “A Heritage of Excellence. A Heritage of Speed. From its very beginning in 1925, Chrysler Corporation has based its reputation on engineering excellence and backed up that reputation on the proving grounds of competition. From the dirt tracks and superspeedways of NASCAR to the quarter-mile drag strips of the NHRA, from the salt flats of Bonneville to the high-speed European racing venues of Le Mans and Spa- Francorchamps, Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth cars and engines have dominated their rivals on their way to rewriting the record books. This is the story of the all-conquering Hemi engine, of ‘Big Daddy’ Don Garlits, the greatest drag racer of all time, of Richard Petty, the King of Stock Car Racing, and many others. Proving Ground: A History of Dodge, Chrysler, and Plymouth Racing is the first full history of Chrysler’s racing efforts. This is the book that fans of Mopar racing have been waiting for.”

Eight Chapters, illustrated with scores of excellent photographs, tell the Mopar story in 192 pages.

1: The Birth of a Heritage: 1924-1941.

2: The Dawn of an Era: 1949-1958.

3: NASCAR: The Factory Battles: 1959-1970.

4: Drag Racing’s Super Stock Era: 1960-1969.

5: Racing in Other Fields and Waters: 1959-1980.

6: NASCAR Circuit Racing: 1971-Present.

7: Road Racing, Rally and Land Speed Record: 1981-Present.

8: Drag Racing’s Pro Stock Era: 1970-Present.

Proving Ground provided many fascinating tidbits of trivia that filled in my knowledge gaps:

Chrysler Corp. was founded in 1925 by Walter P. Chrysler.

The 1924 Chrysler Model 70, was named for its 70 mph top speed.

“The first-recorded major Chrysler racing entry was not on U.S. soil and not accomplished by American drivers.” It was in the 1925 24 Hours of Le Mans, when Henri Stoffel and Lucien Desvaux drove a Chrysler Model 70 roadster in the French race.

Malcolm Campbell drove a Model 70 to victory at Brooklands in 1925 at an average speed of 99.61 mph.

A Chrysler Imperial E-80 paced the 1926 Indianapolis 500. It was driven by Louis Chevrolet.

The first Chrysler-powered car to compete in the Indy 500 was the “Slade Special” driven by Roland Free in 1930.

A 1934 Chrysler Airflow was driven to 72 AAA speed records at Daytona Beach then did a cross-country economy run from Los Angeles to New York averaging 18.1 mpg.

Jimmy Thompson finished 10th in a 1946 Chrysler in the first NASCAR Strictly Stock race at Charlotte on June 19, 1949.

Lee Petty won Chrysler’s first NASCAR Strictly Stock race at Heidelberg Speedway near Pittsburg, Pa., in a 1949 Plymouth on October 2, 1949.

Carl Kiekhaefer’s Chrysler team dominated NASCAR Cup racing from 1955-56. They won the title both years and an astonishing 52 of 101 races.

In 1967, Richard Petty’s Plymouth Belvedere won an amazing 27 NASCAR Cup races … including 10 in a row.

The 426 Hemi engine first ran under its own power on December 6, 1963. It would soon become legendary.

When Chrysler boycotted NASCAR in 1965 when the Hemi was banned, Richard Petty and David Pearson went drag racing. Petty drove the #43 Jr. Plymouth Barracuda and Pearson drove a Dodge Dart wagon called “Cotton Picker.”

The winged 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona made its debut at the inaugural race at Talladega. It took pole at 199.466 mph and won the race. Charlie Glotzbach had earlier run a lap at 243 mph on the five-mile Chrysler Chelsea Proving Grounds track.

Don Garlits’ Swamp Rat VI was the first dragster to break 200 mph on August 1, 1964 at Great Meadows, NJ.

These are just a few of the Chrysler highlights documented in Proving Ground.

The book also contains photographs of famous people, places and cars in the Chrysler legacy including:

Sam Posey in the 1970 Dodge Challenger Trans Am machine.

Buck Baker in the 1956 Chrysler 300B.

The 1956 DeSoto Fire Flite Indy Pace Car.

Dan Gurney’s 1970 Plymouth Superbird.

Dick Landy’s 1964 Hemi Dodge, the first Funny Car.

Woody Walcher’s 1965 Hemi Plymouth Pikes Peak hill climber.

Goldenrod.

Miss Chrysler.

Bob Tullius’ Group 44 Dodge Dart.

Woodhouse Performance Viper.

Al Teague’s Streamliner.

Joey Saldana’s World of Outlaws sprint car.

Sox & Martin’s Hemi Barracuda.

The Motown Missile.

Gary Scelzi’s Mopar Funny Car.

And many, many more.

Proving Ground rates four out of five lug nuts and may be purchased at the SPEED Book Store.

SPEED Dream Ride!
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