Historic stock cars take to the track at Monterey Historics
By Cody Belliveau If you are a racing fan and like to race old cars, head over to the track in Salinas to take in some action. The Rolex Monterery…
By Cody Belliveau
If you are a racing fan and like to race old cars, head over to the track in Salinas to take in some action. The Rolex Monterery Motorsports Reunion is running a race of 27 classic stock cars at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in August 2012.
The stock cars participating were made no later than 1990. Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty drove some of the cars that will be making a showing. Rusty Wallace’s Grand Prix — the one that carried him to the 1989 Winston Cup Championship will also be in the race.
This group is one of 17 that are participating in the Monterey Motorsports Reunion slated for Aug. 17-19. One is a group of Shelby Cobras. This is the Cobra’s 50th anniversary, and 45 of the classics will be taking their turn on the track.
Opening Up The Race
According to Gill Campbell, the CEO and the general manager of the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, 2012 is the first year that later model stock cars were invited to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Campbell said that in 2010, they invited cars “born” from 1959 through 1975 to participate. Campbell wants to “share the wealth and breadth of motorsports history” with everyone. He said that watching the older cars manipulate the corkscrew will be “entertaining.” As well it should be.
Who (and What) Will Be There
Furthermore, former employees of Shelby American, colleagues of Carroll Shelby and over 200 Shelby Cobras are expected to show up for the event. The 200 Cobras committed to the Cobra Corral will complement the 45 Cobras entered in the race.
If you are bringing a classic to the race, be sure to find reliable vehicle transport that will properly care for your car while in its possession. Often, paint jobs on classics, especially those for show only, are expensive. You want to make sure the vehicle transport company is honest, careful and reliable.
Additional vehicles that are expected to make a showing include:
- The Daytona Coupe CSX 2299. This car won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 12 Hours of Sebring, the Daytona Continental 24 hour and the 1965 FIA GT World Championship. Drivers included Bob Bondurant and Dan Gurney.
- FIA Cobra Roadster CSX 2345. This car has five FIA wins with Phil Hill, Roy Salvadori, Bob Bondurant, Sir John Whitmore and others at the wheel. It is in its original condition, including the tires it wore at its last win, a 1965 race at Rossfeld, Germany.
- Sebring Cobra Roadster CSX 2128. This car is known as “Hey Little Cobra” and was driven by Ken Miles and Dan Gurney.
- The first Cobra to ever win a race and a national championship, the Cobra Roadster CSX 2026 is also expected to make a showing.
- The first Shelby factory race car, which is the third Cobra ever built is expected to make a showing. The Cobra Roadster CSX 2002 was driven by Billy Krause among others (lucky guys!).
- Cobra CSX 3017. This Cobra is a full competition 427 Cobra.
- The very first Shelby Cobra ever made, the Cobra #1 CSX 2000, which debuted at the 1962 New York Auto Show is expected to show up.
- The on Stage III factory Dragonsnake Cobra, the Cobra 289 Dragonsnake CSX 2427 will be at the show. This car sold for $8,695 in 1964. It has had a multi-year restoration and earn an almost perfect score at SAAC’s concours.
About the author: Cody Belliveau studied auto mechanics and later pursued a degree in journalism. He now freelances for print publications as well as blogs.
