# Stock Car Racing's first Thunderbirds.



## LUKE'57 (May 17, 2003)

Stock Car Racing's first Thunderbirds.

No, they weren't they weren't the '85 ride of "Million Dollar Bill" or the late '70's Bud Moore and Roger Penske cars. They weren't even the early '70's ones run by independant Henley Grey. 

The "salvage" parts and pieces that someone on the inside at FoMoCo made sure that Holman Moody found out about and got for scrap prices wound up being just the right parts and just enough of them for the "boys at out at the airport" to be able to build and have ready for sale before the first Daytona 500. Several of the very powerful '59 Thunderbirds with 430 cubic inch Lincoln engines were ready for the opening of France's huge new Daytona Speedway in February of 1959. 

While some folks at Ford who tried to get around the factory's ban of racing involvement got their hands spanked about it, the racers took advantage of it and Jphnny Beachamp almost won the first Daytona 500 with one. Here's Cotton Owens departure from the GM ranks to become a "bird man".


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

Love the stories as much as the pix! rr


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