BaT Auction Success Story: The Road to the Le Mans Classic with a NASCAR Racer You Should Know
BaT member dargt3, an accomplished vintage racer, won this Dodge Charger NASCAR racer from Bulletmotorsportsinc in an October 2025 BaT auction. He recently wrote in with an update on the car and his future plans for it:
In late 2025, HSR dropped its 2026 schedule. On it was a race that had never appeared in the past: it was for NASCAR Cup cars, included as part of the NASCAR Classic Series at the 2026 Le Mans Classic Legend happening in July. I had raced a Porsche RSR during the 2018 Classic 24 Hour race, and vowed if I ever had the opportunity to go back, I would do so. I’ve owned a number of vintage race cars, including an R8 LMS Audi, a few Porsches, a 1969 Trans-Am Camaro, and an IROC Firebird, among others. But I didn’t own a NASCAR Cup car, and the day the schedule was announced, my search for one was afoot.
The shop that services my race cars is Ray Evernham’s Big Iron Garage. Who better to contact than a former championship crew chief, team owner, and Hall of Fame member to help me find a Cup car? A few weeks into my search, this Team Penske Dodge Charger appeared on BaT. Ray said it looked good in the ad, and I still had contacts at Team Penske, who verified it was one of their former cars. It also happened to be one that the company I managed in the early 2000s sponsored. With that, I bid and won the car.
The crew at Big Iron Garage went through the car, and I immediately took it to Sebring for the December HSR race. Unfortunately, we had a clutch issue rear its ugly head, which prevented me from running laps, but that was easily repaired. While I’m disappointed that I didn’t get a number of laps in at Sebring, the car was everything that the ad represented.
I registered for the Le Mans Classic, and my application was accepted! I’ll participate in the 2026 HSR NASCAR Classic to Le Mans Classic in Le Mans, France, from July 2 to 5. The selected cars will race three sprint races supporting the Classic 24 Hours of Le Mans. Everyone going will meet at HSR’s The Mitty at Road Atlanta on April 22 to 26 to load their cars and support gear in overseas shipping containers. Once the cars and gear are loaded, they will be taken to a shipping port by Silver Tiger Logistics for the trip to France. The last count I saw was thirty vintage NASCAR Cup cars of various generations being registered for the Le Mans races.
I’m chronicling the activities and events leading up to this year’s Le Mans Classic, from applying, to acceptance, and participating with my stock car; everything will be included in the latest of a three-volume memoir I am completing, which follows my racing activities across England, France, Australia, the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The books are entitled Baja to Bathurst and include racing both on- and off-road at some of the most iconic tracks and venues around the world. Anyone with an interest in racing will enjoy riding in the passenger seat as they read about my racing exploits at events like the Baja 1000, the Classic 24 Hours of Daytona, and the Classic 24 Hours at Le Mans, just to name a few.
Thanks for sending us this update, dargt3. We’re glad your application was accepted—we’d love to hear an update after it’s had a chance to rumble around the Circuit de la Sarthe!
If you have a Success Story about a car you’ve bought or sold on BaT, please send a few lines and pictures (or a video) to community.content@bringatrailer.com, and we’ll send you a $50 credit to the BaT Gear Store when your story posts to the site.
We love to hear from satisfied BaT buyers and sellers, and a Success Story feature is a great addition to any car’s history when you’re ready to sell.
