Fabulous Hudson Hornet
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The Fabulous Hudson Hornet was a famous NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint Cup) and AAA stock car produced by the Hudson Motor Car Company. Marshall Teague and Herb Thomas each drove in a Hudson Hornet that they nicknamed the "Fabulous Hudson Hornet".
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[edit] Marshall Teague
Teague drove his Fabulous Hudson Hornet in selected NASCAR events during the 1951 and 1952 seasons. Teague approached the Hudson Motor Car Company by traveling to Michigan and visiting their plant without an appointment; by the end of the visit Hudson virtually assured Teague of corporate support and cars; the relationship was formalized shortly after the visit. Teague was also instrumental in helping Hudson tune the I6 powered Hudson Hornet to its maximum stock capability. He nicknamed his Hudson Hornet the "Fabulous Hudson Hornet". When combined with the car's light weight and low center of gravity (because of its monocoque body), the Hornet allowed Teague and the other Hudson drivers to dominate various stock car racing series from 1951 through 1954, consistently beating out other drivers in cars powered by larger, more modern engines. Teague and his crew chief Smokey Yunick won 27 of 34 events in major stock car events [1], including 7 NASCAR events. Teague left NASCAR during the 1952 season in a dispute with NASCAR's owner William France Sr.
Teague was awarded the 1951 AAA Stock Car Driver of the Year, and the 1952 and 1954 AAA National Stock Car Champion while driving in the Fabulous Hudson Hornet.
The original Fabulous Hudson Hornet can be found today fully restored at the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum in Ypsilanti, MI.
[edit] Herb Thomas
Thomas began the 1951 NASCAR Grand National season with moderate success in a Plymouth car (plus one win in an Oldsmobile). He switched midseason to his Fabulous Hudson Hornet, and won the 1951 championship.
Thomas dominated the entire 1953 NASCAR Grand National season. He won a series best 12 races en route to becoming the first two-time series champion.
[edit] Legacy
Hudson merged with Nash to become American Motors Corporation. In the face of continually declining sales, the Hudson name was retired in 1957. The Hornet name was used by AMC for their compact sedan from 1970 to 1977. AMC raced the AMC Javelin in Trans-Am and the AMC Matador in NASCAR. They did well enough to win Trans-Am, and try again with a new fastback coupe in NASCAR.
[edit] Cars (2006)
The 2006 film Cars tells the story of a hotshot racecar, Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) who finds himself stuck in the Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. The town's judge and doctor is Doc Hudson (Paul Newman), a Hornet that turns out to be the real Fabulous Hudson Hornet himself. He shares many of the same records as the real Hornet, although their fates differ. His number is also 51.
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