1968 Trans-Am season review

[Jon Mello]

The Dodge Dart that Bob Tullius drove in '67 was sold to a guy who went drag racing with it and it has not been seen since. The Tom Yeager '66 Mustang that Walt Hane drove at the '67 Daytona 300 Trans-Am got put back on the street and was eventually found and restored decades later. It is currently owned by Curtis Wheatley and shown on the Historic Trans-Am website. I am having trouble thinking of another Camaro that got put back on the street but it's certainly possible. I have the serial number from the '68 Heishman car and have looked for it but have not been able to locate it so far. Hugh Heishman also had a Hugger orange '69 RS Z race car but it did not run in the Trans-Am series.

Sebring 12-Hour coverage as seen in the '69 program. (Jon Mello Collection)

[Jon Mello]

Sebring 12-Hour videos from the '68 race as seen on youtube...

Part 1

Part 2

[Jon Mello]

Sebring 12-Hour Results Program. (Jon Mello Collection)











Lap charts for the Penske Camaros...

[Jon Mello]

Posting these easier to read versions...

[Jon Mello]

Sebring 12-Hour winner shown in pre-race practice time earlier in the week, wearing the #16 rather than #15 that it used during the race.
This car qualified for itself and for the heavier '68 bodied car and the heavier '68 car went through tech once using the #15 and the next time
using the #16. The qualifying didn't really add up to a whole lot because they didn't really get off the grid quickly as can be seen in some of the
"LeMans start" photos I have posted.


Jon Mello Collection


Craig Fisher photo

[1109RWHP]

Why no headlamp bezels? Did they install larger european style lamps for this race?

[Jon Mello]

The headlight bezels were on for the race and the pics above were taken during practice prior to the race. With that being said, the headlights are covered over with racer's tape during the daylight hours of the race and uncovered when nighttime comes and lights are needed. I suspect the bezels were taped in place and come off with the tape when it is removed. I don't know that for a fact but it's the only thing that makes sense to me.

[MO]

And knowing that they were always looking for an advantage, I wouldn't be surprised if there were openings behind the headlamps to let air through.

[Jon Mello]

Well, of course I just needed to keep looking around and I found a picture of the car with the headlights uncovered during the race and the bezels are in place so I don't really have an answer for why they weren't on the car when they first showed up at the track.

[wrongwayron]

To quickly align the lamps for racing into the dark?

[group/7]

maybe it had something to do with the games they played with the cars in tech ?

[Jon Mello]

Hard to say for sure but they weren't the only team running around without headlight bezels. Below is my gold car at Daytona during a practice session before the race and it doesn't have any headlight bezels. During the race however, they were installed.

[MO]

That is a great shot of your car Jon!!

[Jon Mello]

Thanks, Fred!

Here are more Penske Camaro photos from Sebring which I had posted previously in another thread.

Mark Donohue and Roger Penske check out the Camaro upon their arrival.


Notice the numbers for each car, 15 & 16. Each car in the photos below wears the opposite number than it did in the actual race.
The car with the vent window (wind wing) in the door is the '67 lightweight car from the previous season. It was under minimum
weight and did not get run through tech inspection. They ran the '68 through tech inspection twice by changing the car number
in a closed airplane hangar between each inspection. A risky proposition but they pulled it off successfully.











All 7 photos above by Jerry Kroninger

[Jon Mello]

Mark Donohue in the #15 car at the '68 Sebring Trans-Am. This shot provides a good look at the custom rear wheelwell tubs installed on the car by Penske crewman Ron Fournier.