Are you a NASCAR fan and miss the good old days when Rusty Wallace and Dodge were running in the Cup Series? Well, here's your chance to own the Charger race car he drove during the 2005 season. It could be a bargain too.
This race car comes from an era when Dodge was still involved in the top-tier Cup Series. The Mopar brand exited NASCAR in 2012, right after Brad Keselowski won the championship in the Penske-run Charger. Unable to find a flagship team to replace Penske, which switched to Ford, Dodge stepped away from the series.
This specific Charger was driven by Rusty Wallace during his final season as a full-time NASCAR driver. He had been racing for Penske since 1991, when he brought the iconic Miller-sponsored, No. 2 livery with him.
Although he didn't win any Sprint Cup races in this car, Wallace scored a 10th-place finish at the Daytona 500 and managed eight top-five finishes throughout the season, including a second position at Pocono.
When he retired in 2010, the No. 2 livery was passed on to Kurt Busch, who used it until 2010. From 2011, the No. 2 Penske car has been driven by Brad Keselowski. So despite not being a championship-winning car (Rusty finished the season eighth), it's an important piece of Penske Racing history.
And, of course, the fact that Wallace drove it is nothing to sneeze at either. Rusty has more than 700 NASCAR races under his belt, along with a career that stretched over 25 years. He scored a total of 55 wins and won the Sprint Cup Series in 1989. He's also a NASCAR Hall of Fame and International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee since 2013.
The blue-liveried Charger is auctioned off via Bring a Trailer and bidding is at $20,000 with three days to go. The car is in excellent condition, down to 358-cubic-inch (5.9-liter) all-motor V8. The true mileage is unknown, but based on the way it looks inside and out, it's a lot of car for the money if you're a NASCAR enthusiast.
The price could go up by the time bidding comes to an end. This car was previously auctioned off in 2010 when it traded hands for $104,500. But since NASCAR racers from the 2000s aren't full-blown collectibles yet, this Miller-liveried Charger could end up being a bargain.
A cool piece of NASCAR and Penske history to own, but an even greater vehicle to throw around an oval track if you get the chance.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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