Darrell Waltrip drove his...
Darrell Waltrip drove his Mountain Dew-sponsored Buick to 12 wins and the Winston Cup championship in 1981. Waltrip repeated as champion in 1982.
Suddenly, as quickly as it started, the Buick phenomenon was over. The other brands had noticed Buick's success, and their new models started incorporating aerodynamic improvements. That was particularly typified with the new Ford Thunderbird in the mid-'80s, which would be a dominator in NASCAR for years to come. A new nose on the Monte Carlo would make that model very competitive.
It was an era that will never be forgotten, a period when all the big guys were driving Buicks, and running up front. That will never happen again, since the Buick model has been dropped from NASCAR competition. But for a single shining moment, Buick fans had their time in the sun.