Buddy Baker drove a Dodge Charger Daytona past 200 mph at Talladega on March 24, 1970. Driving Chrysler Engineering’s No. 88 Daytona, he became the first driver in NASCAR history to exceed 200 mph on a closed course.
The record run demonstrated why Chrysler developed the Charger Daytona for NASCAR. Its radical aerodynamic package included a pointed nose cone, a flush rear window, and a tall rear wing mounted high enough to work above the car’s body. These changes improved stability and reduced aerodynamic lift at extreme speed.
The Daytona was created after the conventional 1968 Charger 500 struggled against Ford competition. It was based on the 1969 Charger R/T and normally used a 440-cubic-inch Magnum V8; a 426 Hemi was optional. Only 503 production Daytonas were built, including 70 with the Hemi.
Baker’s feat was a test-session milestone rather than a race victory, but it became one of the defining moments in NASCAR engineering history. NASCAR later restricted large-engine aerodynamic cars, effectively ending the short competitive era of the Daytona and its Plymouth Superbird cousin.