Inside the NASCAR Hall of Fame sits a blue-colored 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona. Engineers from Chrysler Corporation lovingly call it DC-93. Pristine and clean today, it was a raw and rugged machine with insane capabilities some half a century ago. The peak point of its story came at the hands of Buddy Baker on March 24, 1970, at the Alabama International Motor Speedway.
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DC-93 became the first car to break the 200 miles per hour barrier in a closed circuit when Baker set a speed of 200.447 mph during a tire test. Notably, the lap was 30 mph faster than the pole speed for that year’s Indianapolis 500. Baker said after the lap, “Gosh, it’s the most wonderful feeling I’ve had in a long, long time. This is something nobody can ever take from you.”
“Being the first guy to run 200 mph on a close course circuit. Gosh, I’m just tickled to death.” The moment became etched in history forever for he had proven to the world that reaching the coveted 200 mph mark wasn’t a dream anymore.
However, it would take years for others to follow him. It was only in 1982 that Benny Parsons recorded a speed above 200 mph in a qualifying run.
He did it with a speed of 200.176 miles per hour at the 1982 Winston 500 in Talladega. From there on, it became increasingly frequent for drivers to break the mark and set their own records.
Baker’s achievement appears more impressive when noting that the concerns for safety during his days were at a high. He was truly a daredevil in punching the throttle beyond its means.
The enthralling story of the 1969 Dodge Charger
DC-93 was born as a magazine test car. It was later stolen, ripped for parts, and found perched in the middle of the Watts section in Los Angeles. Chrysler claimed the lost vehicle and repaired it with advanced machinery. Reborn as a stock car, it was meant to be used for research and development.
It was at one of Chrysler’s tracks in 1969 and surprised people by achieving a speed of over 205 miles per hour. This was, of course, unrecorded. It fulfilled its purpose on the planet when it helped Baker break the speed barrier that had intimidated NASCAR’s best for so long.
It was restored by Ray Evernham and his craftsman to find its way into the Hall of Fame, and is currently owned by Scott Borchetta. DC-93 is an engineering marvel and is as good as stock cars can be made.
