Historic Fabulous Hudson Hornet on Display at Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn

The Fabulous Hudson Hornet, the oldest known NASCAR championship car, will be on display at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn until Oct. 22.
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Hudson Hornet NASCAR champion
The Fabulous Hudson Hornet takes a few laps at M1 Concourse in Pontiac. // Photo by Tim Keenan

The Fabulous Hudson Hornet, the oldest known NASCAR championship car, will be on display at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn until Oct. 22.

The exhibit, in conjunction with the Traverse City-based Hagerty Drivers Foundation, is part of a partnership between the museum and the foundation to display cars from the National Historic Vehicle Register that tell the story of the automobile in American history.

The display also corresponds to the debut of the Hagerty Drivers Foundation documentary on the history of the Fabulous Hudson Hornet.

The film uncovers the serendipitous turn of events that led the small Detroit manufacturer to become a standout champion in the emerging stock car racing craze of post-war America. Combining some of the best drivers of the day, with support from an automaker that quickly came to understand the mantra, “win on Sunday, sell on Monday,” the influence of this chapter of motoring history sets the stage for modern day racing.

At the center of the story is a humble, self-trained racer named Herb Thomas, one of stock car racing’s first stars. To this day, Thomas retains the highest win percentage of any NASCAR driver — most of which was done at the wheel of Hudson Hornets.

Featuring Thomas’ sons and grandson, Jay Leno, Richard Petty, NASCAR historians, Pixar’s Jay Ward, and Hudson experts, the film gives a fresh perspective on the early days of American stock car racing.

Many may be familiar with aspects of the story, as it was popularized in Pixar’s “Cars” animated movie franchise that drew inspiration from Thomas’s career and the Hudson racing program for its character Doc Hudson.

“Herb Thomas set the standard for what a great race car driver was in the early 1950s: the combination of car and driver — Herb Thomas and Hudson — transformed the sport,” says Tom Jensen, curatorial affairs manager at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C. “Because of this and his incredible race record, Thomas was inducted to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2013 and we are excited to see his only remaining Hudson get the recognition it deserves as well through this documentary and the National Historic Vehicle Register inclusion.”

The Fabulous Hudson Hornet documentary is available for free on the Hagerty Drivers Foundation’s YouTube channel.