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Did You Know: NASCAR Is The Reason Why We Have Muscle Cars?
Here's the history of how race cars became muscle cars.
The Birth of The Muscle Car
It’s debated which is the true first muscle car but it was definitely one of these two: the Oldsmobile Rocket 88 in 1949 or the Rambler Rebel in 1957. These cars were made for racing in NASCAR. As they became too powerful, NASCAR banned engines that were not in production models. This lead to ‘homologated’ production versions the public could buy, so the car makers could use them in NASCAR. Hence why these massive engines were being put into daily drivers.
1950: The First Muscle Car Wins 8 of 10 Races
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1957: The Rambler Rebel - The First Midsized Muscle Car
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1964: HEMI Engine - The Birth of a Motorsport Legend
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1966: Production Legal HEMIs Help It Return to NASCAR
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Several special, homologated production versions of the Dodge Dart, Plymouth Fury, and later the Dodge Coronet were produced in limited numbers. These models featured aluminum fenders and bumpers for drag racing and were made available to the general public, allowing the 426 HEMI to make its dominant return to NASCAR in 1966.
With its return, Richard Petty and Petty Racing reminded everyone that the 426 HEMI engine was the one to beat, winning the 1966 Daytona 500 with his Plymouth Belvedere.
1970s: The End of the Muscle Car
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The popularity of muscle cars declined through the early and mid-1970s due to a combination of power-sapping emissions controls and a switch to unleaded fuel mandated by the Clean Air Act, the 1970s energy crisis, and increased insurance costs for performance cars.
