The 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona raced by country music legend Marty Robbins is set to cross Mecum's auction block | The Online Automotive Marketplace | Hemmings (2024)

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June 16, 2021

Updated

March 23, 2024

Over the decades, a host of entertainers have led double lives as successful race car drivers. Paul Newman and Steve McQueen quickly come to mind, as do James Garner and James Dean. Another who probably deserves more credit for being a diehard racer with real wheel talent was country music legend Marty Robbins, whose well-documented 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona will soon cross the block.

Born Martin Robinson on September 26,1925, the Glendale, Arizona, native’s musical career was instrumental in securing the means with which he could fund his second passion: motorsports. After cutting his teeth in short track events, Marty made his first NASCAR Grand National start behind the wheel of a Ford at Nashville Speedway in 1966. His second start occurred two years later at Charlotte Motor Speedway in a year-old Dodge owned by Dick Behling. After starting 32nd in a field of 45 entries, Marty raced his way to a respectable 12th-place finish during the gruelling 500-mile contest. A brief hiatus followed, but Marty returned to NASCAR in 1970 in the car pictured above: a 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona.

According to its documentation, the Dodge first saw track action as a ’67 Charger owned and racedby former NASCAR rookie of the year and championship contender James Hylton. By the start of the 1970 season, the Dodge was wearing Charger 500 skin-n-trim; the condition it was in when Hylton later jumped ship to Ford. After purchasing the Mopar, Robbins hired fellow racers Bobby and Eddie Allison to oversee the car’s conversion from Charger 500 to Charger Daytona bodywork in time for the National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, scheduled for October 11, 1970. It was then painted a two-tone color combination Robbins was well-known for on the racing circuit: magenta and chartreuse.A race-spec 426 Hemi engine completed the build.

“Chargin’” Charlie Glotzbach won the pole in his ’69 Dodge Charger Daytona with a then-blistering pace of 157.273 mph at the 1.50-mile long quad-oval, just ahead of Richard Petty in his Plymouth Superbird. Robbins would qualify 33rd in the field of 40, but as the contest unfolded, it was clearly going to be a race of attrition. Front runners David Pearson and Cale Yarborough briefly hooked fenders and crashed out of the race on lap 9; Glotzback crashed out on lap 44. James Hylton, Buddy Baker, Richard Petty, and teammate Pete Hamilton were another batch eliminated in crashes by lap 239. Meanwhile, Robbins raced steadily until he asked for relief from Dave Marcis, who had blown an engine on lap 54. Despite the assistance, the 426 Hemi in Robbins’ Dodge erupted on lap 105, relegating him to an official finish in 33rd spot. His winnings amounted to $1,160, or $8,015 in today’s dollars.

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caption=” Sponsored in partu00a0by KLAC 750 Radio, Marty Robbins raced his way to an eighth place finish in theu00a01972 Miller High Life 500 atu00a0Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California. It would be the first of two top 10 finishes he would record inu00a0five starts during the season in this 1972 Dodge; the other wasu00a0ninth in the Southern 500 at Darlington. (Photo by Gerry Stiles/The Enthusiast Network via Getty Images/Getty Images)” photo_credit=”” alt=””] Sponsored in partby KLAC 750 Radio, Marty Robbins raced his way to an eighth place finish in the1972 Miller High Life 500 atOntario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California. It would be the first of two top 10 finishes he would record infive starts during the season in this 1972 Dodge; the other wasninth in the Southern 500 at Darlington. (Photo by Gerry Stiles/The Enthusiast Network via Getty Images/Getty Images)

Marty Robbins would make another 32 starts in NASCAR’s top series, accumulating one topfive(a fifth place finish at Michigan International Speedway during the 1974 Motor State 360) and six top 10s, with a career total of $49,701 in prize money. Throughout much of his career, Robbins favored the Dodge brand until his last of four starts during the 1980 season, which were in a Chevrolet owned by M.C. Anderson. His final two NASCAR startsin ’82 were in Buicks built and prepared by Junior Johnson, still wearing a variation of the same two-tone colors he raced over a decade prior. In addition to his Cup career, Robbins is credited witha single start in the old Grand National East Series in 1972, a start in what was then the NASCAR Winston West series in 1976, and at least onestart in ARCA, which occurred in 1981.

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caption=” Driving a Buick Regal prepared by Junior Johnson, Marty Robbins slips under rookie Bob Jarvis (driving D.K. Ulrich’s Buick) during the 1982 Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Though Robbins ran strong early, the engine expired after 45 laps, relegating him to a 37th place finish. Though he failed to qualify for the Champion Spark Plug 400 at Michigan soon after, Robbins’ final NASCAR start occurred at the Atlanta Journal 500 on November 7, 1982 – a month before his passing of a heart attacku00a0- where he finished 33rd after being involved in a crash with Donnie Allison on the 89th lap. (Photo by Brian Cleary/Getty Images)” photo_credit=”” alt=””] Driving a Buick Regal prepared by Junior Johnson, Marty Robbins slips under rookie Bob Jarvis (driving D.K. Ulrich’s Buick) during the 1982 Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Though Robbins ran strong early, the engine expired after 45 laps, relegating him to a 37th place finish. Though he failed to qualify for the Champion Spark Plug 400 at Michigan soon after, Robbins’ final NASCAR start occurred at the Atlanta Journal 500 on November 7, 1982 – a month before his passing of a heart attack– where he finished 33rd after being involved in a crash with Donnie Allison on the 89th lap. (Photo by Brian Cleary/Getty Images)

Beyond his racing stats, though, Marty Robbins was widely credited for saving the life of fellow driver (and future championship team principle) Richard Childress. During qualifying for the National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in early October 1974, Buddy Baker – driving Bud Moore’s Ford – spun, flat-spotting all four tires. Moore requested permission to change the ruined tires before the race, but that request was denied. NASCAR rules stated that a car must start the race with the tires it wore during qualifying and, in frustration, Moore blatantly slashed two of thosetires in front of NASCAR officials. Baker was promptly penalized to the 41st starting position, prompting Baker to declare, “I’ll be in the lead by the 10th lap, or I’ll be crashed out by the 10th lap.” Onlap nine, Baker hooked fenders with 36th starter Dick Brooks, triggering a 10-car crash that sent Neil Castles and Jim Vandiver through the inside guard rail. Meanwhile, Childress’s Chevy had come to a grinding halt on the track with the driver’s side exposed to oncoming traffic bearing down at 150 mph. With a split second to make a decision, Robbins pulled his Dodge hard to the right, sending his car into the wall and himself to the hospital where he received 32 stitches for a facial laceration. Robbins later said, “I couldn’t stand to think of me running slap into another driver, so I took the wall.” Less than a year after his death on December 8, 1982, NASCAR announced one of the twice annual races heldat Nashville would be renamed the Marty Robbins 420 in his honor.

As to Marty’s ’69 Dodge, like all race cars, it was driven into obscurity as yet another used steed, outdated by chassis development and safety improvements. Unlike most, however, the Dodge was rediscovered in 2005. Although Cotton Owens maintained much of Robbins’ early fleet of Mopar race cars, the Daytona had a Ray Nichels prepared chassis, uniquely fitted with a GM-based front suspension arrangement. Helping further identify the car as the genuine Robbins Dodge were son Ronny Robbins, Bobby Allison, and James Hylton, along with Greg Kwiatkowski, Doug Dempsey, and Doug Schellinger. It’s restoration was then managed by championship winning crew chief and former team principle Ray Evernham at his Big Iron Garage in North Carolina. Along with the body work and chassis, a race-spec 426 Hemi with an early Holley Dominator carburetor was installed, backed by a correct four-speed manual, reinforced Chrysler 8-/34 differential, and Nichels NASCAR wheels correct for the era. A modern fuel cell was added in the interest of safety, should it ever see vintage track actions. Upon completion, it was unveiled to the public at the 50th Anniversary of the Aero Wars hosted by Tim Wellborn at the Talladega Speedway, and it appeared at the 2019 MCACN show in Chicago. As of this writing, no presale estimate has been provided.

Mecum’s Orlando auction will take place July 29-31. For more information, visit Mecum.com.