Underappreciated: NASCAR Buick Regal
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Welcome everyone to another edition of "Underappreciated" where we look at the underappreciated racing cars of the past, relegated to the history books. Today's entry is about the mid-tier, mid-grade, mid-life crisis that was the Winston Cup Buick Regal!
In the 1980's, GM was the king of NASCAR. They were racing Chevy, Buick, Pontiac and Oldsmobile. Arguably, Chevy was the most popular brand as they made up famous teams like Richard Childress Racing and later Hendrick Motorsports. For a time though, Buick looked like it was on it's way to taking over Chevy's crown.
Buick was involved heavily in racing in the 80's and 90's. Their V8's could be heard at Daytona, their Turbo V6's at the Indy 500 and IMSA tracks, and their Regals on the streets embarrassing Corvette's and challenging Ferrari's. Buick was selling the world on the idea that Buick was a name not just of quality but of speed and performance.
Buick's history in NASCAR is a long one, harkening back to the 1950's and the dirt tracks of the era. Factory support was not as strong or existent for Buick as compared to Ford and Chrysler in the 60's and 70's. This meant that Buick's last win in NASCAR was in 1956. However, in 1981 Buick decided to take the "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" approach to new heights as they redesigned their Regal coupe to be a more aerodynamic and smoother shape for the sole purpose of running a faster race.
At the time, NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National cars were built off of factory body panels and designs. No one could modify a Winston Cup car to be more aerodynamic, it had to sit as it did from the factory. Buick was serious about racing and winning, they wanted to prove that Buick was the next name in Motorsports, from the race track to the stoplights.
In 1981, NASCAR changed the rules and sizes on what cars could be. Cars went from full size beasts to a midsize, standardizing a wheel base of 110 inches. This was to make the cars more "recognizable" to the common midsize coupes available on dealer showrooms. The cars were now smaller, tighter and more difficult to drive. Buick decided to hop into NASCAR in 81' with full support and they decided they were going to win.
The Regal was released for 81 with a smoother front end that was sloping along with a matching hood which gave a much cleaner airflow to slightly more raked windshield and allowed for better drafting and faster lap times. The Regal's were designed to be more stable then the Monte Carlo and Thunderbird of the time, especially as the new wheelbase was considered very unstable. All Buick's in NASCAR ran the same GM 357 engine that Chevy, Pontiac and Olds used, so Buick believed that the aero change would give them the competitive edge. This was proven almost instantly.
As Richard Petty set out on Lap 1 of the Daytona 500 in 1981, he would be driving the new Regal around the famed track along with other famous drivers such as Terry Labonte, Darrel Waltrip, and The King's son Kyle Petty. The Buick was not the favored car to win as the 1980 Pontiac LeMans with it's sloped rear windshield was seen as the conventional "fast car" of the time. Buick had not been a traditionally fast or competent make at Daytona, so there was some questioning over why Richard Petty had decided to run them at all.
After a long, hard fought race, Richard Petty showed why he picked Buick. The 500 was won by Petty in his STP Buick and "The King" added his 7th Daytona 500 trophy to his collection. Many drivers would switch from Oldsmobile and Pontiac to Buick after Richard sang his praises of his car and the speed that Buick gave him.
Buick's were not much different from their GM cousins on short tracks, as aerodynamics weren't as important on the half mile high banks of Bristol or Martinsville. However, Buicks were driven by some of the best short track racers (Darrel Waltrip) meaning that Buicks were a threat from Daytona to Darlington to Bristol to Riverside. The Regal was a winner through and through, a shock to the system for Ford and GM at the time. The wins and success were unprecedented, and many Ford/Chevy/Olds/Pontiac teams were asking their manufacturer what they planed to do to combat the success.
In 1981, Buick racked up 12 Wins and 21 top 5 finishes in the 30 race season. Buick and the Regal would take the championship with Darrel Waltrip and cemented it's self in the history books. Buick would follow-up the dream season of 81' by winning the 82' Daytona 500 with the help of the #88 Bobby Allison Gatorade Regal and would go on to win the 82' season championship again with Darrel Waltrip.
The early 80's were good for Buick, but it wouldn't last forever. For 1983 Ford made significant changes to it's Thunderbird to make it more aerodynamic and make a faster race car (front end and rear end design changes). Of course, some will say this was just coincidental as the previous Thunderbird was an ugly hunk of junk. I'd like to think Ford bosses were tired of their cars getting beat by a Regal every week for 2 years.
GM would make the same changes, offering a more competitive Monte Carlo SS for 1983. Cale Yarborough would make history by going over 200 MPH at qualifying in Daytona (and then wrecking the car) with the 1983 Monte Carlo. Chevy would later release a special edition of the Monte Carlo in 1986 called the "Aero Coupe" with a special glass rear hatch that offered better airflow for Super Speedway races and offer an even more competitive edge.
Buick and the Regal would still compete in NASCAR through the 80's and into the 90's. Buick was upsetting it's cousins in the GM family with it's sporty image stepping on Pontiac's "Excitement" brand and putting Oldsmobile in a situation where it wasn't seen as the fastest nor the most technological brand. GM would pull a GM and ensure that Buick's funds weren't spent on regular upgrades to the body of the Regal. This meant that it stayed the same from 81-88 when the Regal was put on the W platform, a massive investment for GM at the time.
The Regal was still a competitive car, it's just that the other teams were breaking records and becoming faster each year. So while Aero Coupe Monte Carlo's and Turbo Coupe Thunderbirds would "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" in NASCAR, Buick focused elsewhere for their glory.
Buick would finally bow out of NASCAR with their 3rd generation Regal in 1992. The last Regal win was in 1990 at North Wilkesboro, the first win for Brett Bodine and is considered one of the most controversial races of the era (a possible scoring error was noted as the pace car possibly did not pickup the correct car on a caution flag). Oldsmobile would soon follow suit, leaving GM with Pontiac and Chevrolet in NASCAR in the early 90's. Chevy and their Lumina and Monte Carlo's would become staples of nostalgia for racing fans of the time. From the Black #3 of Earnhardt, to the rainbow #24 of Gordon, Buick was long gone and GM was happy to have it that way.
Buick would go onto remain a staple of IndyCar racing into the 90's with their Turbo V6 program before bowing out of racing altogether into the 2000's. Buick would go back to being the midrange of GM's portfolio and gaining an ever popular presence in China.
The history of the Regal in NASCAR is somewhat tainted in my opinion by the fact that it wasn't the record breaker. It wasn't the crazy "Aero War" type car that late 80's NASCAR Winston Cup Cars were. The Regal was a fast race car. It came from a company that wanted to be known for more than quality and comfort, they wanted Buick to be known for speed. After all, the Winston Cup Grand National series name was honored by the now Legendary Buick Regal Grand National. Yes, the famous turbo coupe of GNX and "Lord Vader, your car is ready" fame is named after Buick's success in early 80's NASCAR.
So while the race car may be underappreciated and even forgotten by some, it's name lives on today. For if it wasn't for the NASCAR Buick Regal, we wouldn't have the legend of the Buick GN and GNX.
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@rctothefuture Nice read, thanx! It good to be reminded of the high points of a very forgettable brand. Now I want a GNX.
89' E30, 82' E21, Thrustmaster t300rs. Slow in, fast out.
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@rctothefuture Appreciated: very good Oppo
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@st80mnd It really is a shame how far Buick fell from grace. For all the good GM as a whole can bring, they can really screw a brand in the same time.
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@rctothefuture Great read (and I otherwise don't pay NASCAR any mind); thanks!
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@rctothefuture I remember having a DW plastic Mountain Dew Regal in my youth. Bobby Allison's Regal was one of my favorite cars in that area. Looked mean!
Thanks for the write up!
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Appreciate everyone's comments, I realize now that the picture of Petty was with an Olds, not a Buick. That's been corrected to show his correct car from 81.
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Very good writeup! I'm not much for nascar, I couldn't have even told you they ran Regals. I did kind of wonder why the front end of that era Regal looked like it was melting/sagging, and today I learned it was for aero. Thanks!
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Nice job!
You can't talk about the GNX without remembering its stablemate, the Monte Carlo SS, which, in my opinion, has a much better looking front end.
Never discount the possibility that you might live through it.
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@mm54 appreciate it! The Thunderbird Super Coupe is the same way, which is odd because because a turbo car has no front grill openings... oh Ford!
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@bicyclebuck the problem with the SS was that it wasn't really better than the Grand National. The SS is very good looking, but it was just another SBC with a graphics package.
The Turbo Montes from 81 are awesome. The Aero Coupe was even cooler. I'd rather have them over the SS. Just because they are special.
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2014 Mini Paceman S
1995 Ford Probe GT -
@rctothefuture Great write-up! Two of my last three fun cars were Buicks, so I have a special love for the brand.
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@rctothefuture a nascar regal would be an amazing find!
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As a kid, I always though of Buick as "grandpa's car". When I was a bit older, I was driving down the freeway when I saw a blacked out Buick with what I though was a Jiffy Lube logo on the back. I don't think I knew what a Grand National was until then.
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@roadkilled I've always heard people confuse it as a Jiffy lube logo. I love that it's a turbo and a 6
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@rctothefuture said in Underappreciated: NASCAR Buick Regal:
The Turbo Montes from 81 are awesome. The Aero Coupe was even cooler. I'd rather have them over the SS. Just because they are special.
I had a '78 turbo coupe! And for relevance's sake, when it was new my dad used to drive the family to Daytona in it every year for vacation.
This is the only pic I have of it unfortunately. I know my parents have a photo of me, my dad and my sister posing in front of it when i was 6 or so and it was new. There is also a photo of my mom in a bikini with it on Datyona beach LOL.
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@rctothefuture said in Underappreciated: NASCAR Buick Regal:
@bicyclebuck the problem with the SS was that it wasn't really better than the Grand National. The SS is very good looking, but it was just another SBC with a graphics package.
The Turbo Montes from 81 are awesome. The Aero Coupe was even cooler. I'd rather have them over the SS. Just because they are special.
"Dubbed RPO Z65, the Monte Carlo SS paired a redesigned, more aerodynamic front fascia with a high-output version of the 175-hp 305-cubic-inch V8 engine. Like the Grand National, the Monte Carlo SS received a spoiler and an F41 sport suspension complete with heavy-duty front and rear shocks and springs, as well as stabilizer bars front and back."
Never discount the possibility that you might live through it.
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@bicyclebuck ahh, I forgot about the springs and shocks, good catch.
I like my quirky motors damn it!
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@ibrad Damn, a whole family in a 2Dr Coupe. That's plain evil
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Hey, we were little! It was a good day when we finally upgraded to a Delta 88 though.
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Underappreciated? You must be forgetting about the most iconic Buick Regal/Grand National of all time:
All jokes aside, great writeup.
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Talladega 1981, Ron Bouchard takes the win in a 3 way photo finish. Darrel Waltrip 2nd and Terry Labonte 3rd. All Buick Regals.
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@onlytwowheels forgot about that finish! Gotta love old Super Speedway finishes, when the whole pack wasn't wrecking at the line.
