NASCAR MODELS by MR NASCAR
Bobby Isaac's 1964 Dodge
Bobby Isaac was one of NASCAR's pioneers, running his first Grand National race in 1961, after cutting his teeth on the tough Sportsman circuit in previous years. It wasn't until 1963, however, before he landed a solid ride in the Bondy Long-owned Dodge. 1964 was the year the second generation hemi burst on the scene, and Isaac won his first victory; one of the 125 mile qualifiers for Daytona. He was part of the Chrysler armada that dominated that year. The model pictured represents that car.
At this time in NASCAR, drivers were much less public-relations oriented than they are now. Even in that relatively unsophisticated environment. Isaac stood apart, seeming shy and aloof. He avoided the fans, fearing he would be asked for his autograph, when his background as an uneducated mill worker had left him illiterate.
1965 and 1966 were not good years, but in 1967 he signed on with the steamroller K&K Insurance team. In 1969 and 1970, Isaac won 28 races of a career total of 37 wins, garnering 6th place in points in '69, and the championship in 1970.
Unfortunately, his career faded quickly, and in the middle of the 1973 Talledega 500, while driving the Bud Moore car, he called in for a relief driver, and 'quit' racing. He raced sporadically in 1974 - 1976. In 1977 he went back to the Sportsman division, but in a race at Hickory, he had to pull into the pits, and collapsed on exiting the car. He died later that day in hospital, of a massive heart attack. His death, and the man himself, are one of the more enigmatic aspects of NASCAR history.
The model was built from the JOHAN Ramchargers Dodge kit, with rollcage and chassis mods added. Wheels are resin cast items from Perry's Resin Products. Fillers for headlight and tail lighr cavities were made from aluminum printer's sheet. Apart from rollcage, and bucket seat (from Monogram Buick Regal stock carkit), the interior is quite stock. Factory dashboard and door panels are intact, but factory instruments removed from dash and replaced with round dials from Monogram kit. Paint is a maroon metallic to represent a factory stock colour used on the car, and decals are from Fred Cady. A word of caution, I'm not sure if it has been corrected yet, but the decal sheet has "ISSAC" as the spelling, so you need two sheets to cut and paste for correct spelling.
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Bobby Isaac was one of NASCAR's pioneers, running his first Grand National race in 1961, after cutting his teeth on the tough Sportsman circuit in previous years. It wasn't until 1963, however, before he landed a solid ride in the Bondy Long-owned Dodge. 1964 was the year the second generation hemi burst on the scene, and Isaac won his first victory; one of the 125 mile qualifiers for Daytona. He was part of the Chrysler armada that dominated that year. The model pictured represents that car.
At this time in NASCAR, drivers were much less public-relations oriented than they are now. Even in that relatively unsophisticated environment. Isaac stood apart, seeming shy and aloof. He avoided the fans, fearing he would be asked for his autograph, when his background as an uneducated mill worker had left him illiterate.
1965 and 1966 were not good years, but in 1967 he signed on with the steamroller K&K Insurance team. In 1969 and 1970, Isaac won 28 races of a career total of 37 wins, garnering 6th place in points in '69, and the championship in 1970.
Unfortunately, his career faded quickly, and in the middle of the 1973 Talledega 500, while driving the Bud Moore car, he called in for a relief driver, and 'quit' racing. He raced sporadically in 1974 - 1976. In 1977 he went back to the Sportsman division, but in a race at Hickory, he had to pull into the pits, and collapsed on exiting the car. He died later that day in hospital, of a massive heart attack. His death, and the man himself, are one of the more enigmatic aspects of NASCAR history.
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