David Pearson Car Collections, Car Design, and Car Accidents

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David Pearson Car Collections, Car Design, and Car Accidents

Sundar

December 11, 2025

David Pearson Car Collections, Car Design, and Car Accidents — Legendary racer David Pearson in the frame

David Pearson will always be remembered for his contributions in NASCAR. Known as the “Silver Fox”, Pearson was the winner of the Grand National Series not once or twice but thrice. He also earned 12 poles at Darlington Raceway and 13 poles at Charlotte Motor Speedway which still stands as a record.

David Pearson inspired a generation of NASCAR drivers and is still one of the icons. Many drivers aspired to become like Pearson. Some used the same race cars which Pearson used during his days. Let us see about David Pearson’s car collections, race car, and more

David Pearson Race Car Collections

David Pearson used many racing cars during his career. In 1969, the Ford Torino Talladega was unleashed. Pearson used this for the NASCAR Grand National competition and secured 11 wins in a single season for Holman-Moody. This was his most favorite car. He also used the Purolator Mercury vehicle for seven years and he competed in the Daytona 500 with the same car. Pearson was the winner of the Daytona 500 in 1976 where he drove the Purolator Mercury. He used the No.21 car for Wood Brothers Racing and won the race against Richard Petty.

He also secured 43 wins with the No. 21 Purolator Mercury between 1972 and 1978. For David Pearson, Ford Torino Talladega and Purolator Mercury were the lucky cars. David Pearson also used Pontiac GTO for many races. Apart from these, he drove Cotton Owens’ Dodge, Plymouth, and Mercury Montego, and Chevrolet cars. He also owned some of these car collections during his days.

David Pearson Car Crash Incidents

A race car driver getting involved in incidents is normal. In David Pearson’s career, it was totally different. His historic 1976 Daytona 500 win came because of a crash between Pearson and the NASCAR legend Richard Petty. Before the last lap of the Daytona 500, David Pearson tried to overtake Petty with a drift which resulted in a crash near the infield grass. Both were just 30 meters away from completing the race and it was David Pearson who eventually won the race.

In one of the interviews, David Pearson spoke about the 1976 Daytona 500 incident and he revealed there was no issue between both of them after the tangling incident. The 1976 Daytona 500 remains the only Daytona 500 victory for David Pearson. On the other hand, Richard Petty won the Daytona a record 7 times. ESPN rated the 1976 Daytona 500 as the fourth most interesting race in their article. David Pearson won the Daytona 500 with his No. 21 Mercury for the Wood Brothers Racing team.

David Pearson Car Number

Pearson’s favorite cars were Chevrolet, Ford Torino, and Purolator Mercury. He used to drive the #21 Wood Brothers Mercury, #17 Ford Torino, #16 Chevrolet, and #21 Chevrolet.

David Pearson Car Design

David Pearson used Stock Cars during his days. For the Wood Brothers team, he drove Mercury which had aerodynamic enhancements. His Ford Torino was designed with mesh grilles. His racing cars had mechanical mods like heavy-duty radiators and dual shock setups.