What happens when a collection of NASCAR race cars goes up for auction? At Mecum Nashville, we got a close look at machines from the Roush Automotive Collection, including NASCAR Fords, racing trucks, and some instantly recognizable paint schemes.
This MakerBuildIt Garage walkthrough takes a quick trip along the lineup and inside one of the cockpits. It is the kind of display that makes you stop and imagine having a piece of stock-car racing history in your own garage.
Recognizable cars and paint schemes
The red Office Depot number 99 is one of the standouts in the lineup. The video also highlights a Valero Ford and the National Guard number 16, alongside NASCAR racing trucks.
Seeing these vehicles together is part of the appeal. The colors, sponsor graphics, and numbers give each machine its own identity, while the row as a whole brings together different examples of the Roush racing collection.
In the video, I point out that many come from an era when the race cars looked a little more like the Fords you might see at a dealership. A closer look inside shows how different their purpose really was.
A look inside a NASCAR cockpit
One of the best parts of the walkthrough is getting a look inside one of these machines. There is a roll cage, a racing seat, and gauges, with the stripped-down surroundings you would expect from a car built for the track.
The cockpit makes the focus clear: everything is there to serve the race car. It is a very different experience from looking through the window of a comfortable road-going Ford.
From the auction floor to a private collection
The video notes that some of the cars sold, putting pieces of NASCAR history into private collections. The walkthrough does not give individual sale prices, but it does offer a close look at the lineup before asking the question that makes an auction like this so much fun to explore.
If you could choose one, would it be the Office Depot number 99, the National Guard number 16, the Valero Ford, or one of the racing trucks?
Watch the Roush NASCAR collection walkthrough
Which one would you want in your garage? Let us know your pick in the comments.