Whether you’re a longtime NASCAR fan who’s passionate about the sport’s rich history or a car buff with an interest in unique rides, the Goodguys Southeastern Nationals will have a can’t-miss stock car collection on display when the annual car show rolls into town next weekend.
In partnership with Denver, North Carolina-based Rhine Enterprises, Goodguys officials are bringing together a collection of rare cars that were driven by some of the biggest icons in motorsports.
“We restore original vintage and historic NASCAR race cars,” said Rhine Enterprise founder Bill Rhine. “I like what NASCAR is, but I love what it was. From the 70s through the 80s, it just caught my attention. It was spectacular.”
Rhine goes to great lengths to restore the cars to their original condition, even bringing in former drivers and crew members to tell stories about the cars and how they were built in hopes of adding as much authenticity to the restoration projects as possible.
The centerpiece of the display is a restored 1981 No. 2 Wrangler Pontiac from the Rod Osterlund racing stables, which has not been on public display in more than 25 years. The familiar blue and yellow Wrangler was driven by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt.
Other cars on display during the three-day Goodguys Southeastern Nationals include:
- A No. 2 Old Milwaukee Pontiac driven by Tim Richmond in the early 1980s. One of the original 1983 Blue Maxx Racing Pontiac Lemans, the car won at Darlington and Pocono.
- A No. 00 Sam Ard, Thomas Brothers Country Ham Olds Omega, a restored original speedway car raced in the mid-1980s. This will be the first time the car has been viewed by the public in more than 25 years.
- A No. 75 RAHMOC Racing 1977-80 Monte Carlo. This is one of the last of the big cars, (pre 1981). It was run out of the Butch Mock and Bob Rahilly racing stables from 1977 through 1980. This car was raced by Harry Gant at Texas Speedway in 1980 and Lennie Pond at Atlanta in 1980.
- A No. 43 Petty Enterprise 2002 Dodge. This is the 2002 POP SECRET Dodge that raced in the Pop Secret 400 at Rockingham Speedway, driven by John Andretti. The car’s chassis raced several races during the 2001-02 race seasons but is most significant for the one race limited edition paint scheme run at the 2002 Pop Secret Rockingham race.
In addition to this rare collection of racing muscle, fans will enjoy a kaleidoscope of candy colored hot rods, custom cars, muscle cars and tricked out trucks to the infield of Charlotte Motor Speedway, filling the spacious fairgrounds with more than 2,500 cars throughout the weekend. Entries from 28 states and two Canadian provinces are currently registered, signaling a 10 percent increase over last year’s event.
The colorful show is part of the Goodguys’ 19-event national schedule, which features the nation’s most progressive high-performance automotive lifestyle events. The new event spotlights customized American muscle. On display will be everything from Lil’ Deuce Coupes (’32 Ford hot rods) to 1970s era muscle cars to new American performance machines like the new generations of Chevy Camaro, Dodge Challenger and others.
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