Over the years, NASCAR tracks have played host to manufacturers ranging from Hudson to Plymouth, and other since-deceased brands like Oldsmobile. In 2005, the field consisted of three vehicles from an equal number of manufacturers: the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, the Dodge Charger, and the Ford Taurus, which, with five cars, had the most representation in the 2005 Chase.
The newest face among the trio belonged to the Dodge Charger, a more aggressive, everyday-Joe version of the award-winning Chrysler 300. The 2006 Charger could be ordered in a variety of trims, from the 250-horsepower Base to the SRT-8 with its 425-horsepower Hemi. That’d be the 6.1-liter Hemi – buyers also had the option of the RT model, powered by a 340-horsepower 5.7-liter Hemi. Fuel efficiency wasn’t a major selling point, but at least you could expect to better the NASCAR Charger’s 3-8 mpg. Prices ranged from about $22,000 to $35,000.
That left the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, a model that both Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson were hoping would carry them to the 2005 Nextel Cup, with Smoke ultimately taking up occupancy in Victory Lane. The Monte entered 2006 with some styling tweaks, most notably a freshened front end and the addition of a 303-horsepower V8 to the SS model, though power was still delivered to the front wheels rather than the rear. While not exactly the Chevy in which Johnson chased down the 2006 Cup, the addition of the 5.3-liter V8 engine did promise a healthy dose of power, and the first eight-cylinder rumble to come from a stock Monte in years. Prices ranged from about $21,000 for the base model to about $27,000 for the SS.
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