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AUTOS: Petty to Help Sell Benefit Racecar
NASCAR legend Rich Petty will drive a replica of his winning racecar on stage Saturday at Barrett-Jackson in a sale to benefit charity.
Bob Golfen  |  Posted January 16, 2009   Scottsdale, Arizona
The race-ready Superbird was sold to benefit the Darrell Gwynn Foundation, which promotes spinal-injury research and prevention, and provides custom wheelchairs for needy children. (Photo: Petty Enterprises)

NASCAR champion Richard Petty, the undisputed King of stock-car racing, will be on the Barrett-Jackson stage Saturday to help auction off a unique replica of his famed 1970 Plymouth Superbird that ruled the circuit in Petty’s heyday.

The race-ready Superbird, which replicates the legendary racecar with modern engineering, will be sold to benefit the Darrell Gwynn Foundation, which promotes spinal-injury research and prevention, and provides custom wheelchairs for needy children.

Petty will drive the Plymouth, lot no. 1289, onto the stage to help spark the bidding.

“To have the ‘King’ there with us to auction off a near exact version of the legendary Superbird he drove into history every Sunday is a one of-a-kind opportunity,” Gwynn said. “This shows just how far we’ve come.”

Creation of the car was a team effort of donated car, donated parts and donated labor, which was spearheaded by pro wrestler Bill Goldberg, a Barrett-Jackson regular. Goldberg also will be present at the sale to hype up the bidders in his own personal style.

“For me, it’s all about friends and making a difference,” Goldberg said during a press conference Friday at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event, which continues through Sunday at WestWorld in Scottsdale. “Without Barrett-Jackson, I never would have formulated this effort that will challenge the world of charity cars.”

Goldberg appeared with Gwynn and Barrett-Jackson Vice President Gary Bennett to introduce the sale to the media.

“It’s all about the Darrell Gwynn Foundation and this wonderful man right here,” Goldberg said of Gwynn.

A former NHRA drag-racing champ, Gwynn has been confined to a wheelchair since a horrific crash in 1990, losing his left arm and leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. His foundation, which gets tremendous support from the racing and automotive communities, was organized to help people, especially children, who are facing similar challenges.

Besides the sale of the car, Gwynn also will donate two power wheelchairs to needy children this weekend. Such chairs cost between $8,000 and $30,000, he said, depending on their equipment.

Goldberg teamed up with YearOne, Gillete Everham Racing and Musclecar TV to produce the Superbird from a car donated by Rick Brannon. Ray Everham donated the NASCAR-spec 358-cubic-inch racing engine tuned to produce about 750 horsepower, detuned to run on normal gasoline so it can be driven on the street.

“This is a car that I would want to drive around the neighborhood,” Gwynn said.

The car was built by YearOne of Braselton, Ga., using design specs and extensive research of cars on display at the Talladega Motor Speedway to ensure that it would replicate the original.
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