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H Bruns 7590
I DIVISION i PLAa^/OFFICG
G M, Wallace 8940 I Engineering < Highland Dark

RESULTS OF SECOND TEST OF 1969 DODGE CHARGER 500
AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

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As the results of the testing of the prototype 1969 Charger 500 race car at
the Daytona International Speedway it is felt that the.car as tested should be a
competitive race car with a good chance of being successful.. The performance of
the car is superior to the 1968 Fords and Mercurys with respect to both speed and
handling In addition to the high speeds obtained useful data was also obtained
about other facets of the overall performance of the race car*

Resul

From Nt vember 25th to 29th, 1968 the newly built prototype Dodge Charger
500 race; car was tested at the Daytona International Speedway. The driver was
Buddy Bakerft^-aJLl of the tests.. The highest speed obtained during any of the
tests was^9227 mph) and at this speed the driver found the car to have excellent
handling ana^uj tJevery controlable. This is 6d niph faster than that run during
the September test at Daytona with car 046, the 1968 Charger converted to a 1969
Charger 500 body configuration* The major factors involved in this increase in
speed are different tires, greater engine power, underbody to body angle. bracing
bars in engine compartment§ heavy flywheely wider rimss reducing the air flow to
the radiator and weather differences* The effects of these individual items are
covered In detail in the discussion Other items were also investigated for their
effects on speed such as axle ratio9 exhaust pipe ends and front spoiler length
A series of tests was run to determine the effect of changes in engine power on
lap speed., and preliminary results indicate that in the 190 mph range it takes
.17.5 horsepower to increase the lap speed one mph* A correction factor system was
developed that appears to come fairly close to correcting for the effects of
weather changes on lap speed on the Daytona track., This is also discussed later .'

Discussion

During the test the baseline condition differed from the best run of car 046
during the September test in several respects* The body shells of both cars were
1969 Charger 500 *s with the fastback backlight* Car 046 was built with the floor
pan parallel to the body9 while, the new car was built with the floor pan at an
angle of 1*5° to the body due to the drag reductions shown for this configuration
in the wind tunnel tests, The engine in the new car is mounted lower in the car
since, it is designed to be run with a dry sump system* For this test a normal wee
sump oil pan was used» with the bottom of the pan being below the legal minimum
clearance... Both cars were run with the same car height as measured at the sill*
Both cars ran single carburetor ram manifolds., although the new car had the new
design air cleaner and a different advance curve in the distributor.. The engine
from the new car has not been checked on the dynamometer as yet9 but is is esti*

S SO-7879 HEV. S-S&