The Keeper of Vintage Mopar_® Super Stockers

Some folks collect Civil War antiques, others accumulate sports memorabilia; there are even those who seek out vintage furniture and old-school appliances to remodel their homes in a kitschy mid-century modern interior design. For Don Moats, his obsession is with vintage Mopar_® Super Stock racecars that once roamed America’s drag strips at will. While their facsimiles can still be seen today, still attacking the quarter-mile, these Mopar Super Stockers have updated and modernized to the 21st century. They’re a recreation that represents Mopar’s illustrious history of selling purpose-built HEMI^® Super Stock Package Cars, but that’s not quite the same for Don. What’s parked in his shop nestled in York, Pennsylvania, are the real-deal HEMI engine-powered cars. You see, Don only collects authentic vehicles with great heritage and pedigree, and that’s the way he likes it.

Don, who’s only 53 years old, is on the younger side of enthusiasts who are into the vintage racecar hobby, but he’s Mopar to the core. “I bought my first car at 13 and was driving around by 14, either in parking lots or in junk yards, but I did get busted by the local cops for driving underage while joyriding in a 1969 Dodge Super Bee with a 383 Magnum V8,” smiled Don. “Since the early days, I’ve bought and sold hundreds of cars during my life so far.” But what gave Don his love and appreciation of old drag cars was where he grew up. “I reside in historic York, Pennsylvania, and lots of famous racers came from here and raced at the old York US 30 Drag Strip. A lot of racing history was made at York US Drag Strip.” But it was Don’s younger rebel attitude that really got him into Mopar. “My family is Chevy guys, and I wanted something different. I also didn’t want them to steal my parts,” laughed Don. “When I was young, we’d pass a small car lot in town named Eddie’s Auto Sale. Eddie was a Mopar guy, his lot was filled with cool Dodge and Plymouth Muscle Cars. I remember seeing my first 1970 Plymouth Superbird in his lot.”

Like many of us, there were other factors that got him hooked on fast cars. In Don’s case, it was a friendship he struck up with a local drag racer in York. “I can’t forget my buddy John Baughman and his son Steve. During the late 1980s, I’d hang out at John’s racecar shop, including the salvage yard he had on the same property. I remember seeing all the colorful Mopars in the yard and his ’Cuda and Dart drag cars. We remained great friends until John passed away. In a way, that had a huge impact on me collecting Mopar racecars like a Pro Stock Duster, Max Wedge Plymouths, Street HEMI Road Runners, Charger, 440 Six Barrel ’Cuda and many other cool machines. But I always loved those factory Super Stock HEMI cars and the drivers who campaigned them. I’d read about them in the magazines, and then I’d see them years later at car shows.”

Over the past decade or so, Don has fulfilled his dream of amassing some of the rarest and coolest HEMI drag cars. This mild-mannered enthusiast has made it his mission to preserve these machines. When asked what his favorite was, Don had to really think about that. “Up to now, my favorite was the Lee Smith ‘Whackee Wagon’ 1966 Plymouth Belvedere Station Wagon. It’s a beautiful car with great heritage. But after having the chance to acquire a factory 1968 Plymouth Barracuda ‘B029’ HEMI Super Stockers, I had to sell the wagon. This car was rare with all the paperwork, including the window sticker and CERTICARD. The fact that it was an original four-speed Super Stocker, probably one of only 13 produced that year, I had to have it. This car also had a special meaning for me as my late wife’s favorite car. While she was battling her cancer, I’d sit her in Barracuda, fire up the car and she just loved the sounds of the Race HEMI and the smell of the VP C-12 race fuel.”

Just recently, Don was on another buying spree and purchased the ex-Clayton B. Wright ‘Slo-Motion’ 1968 Super Stock HEMI Barracuda. This acquisition came with all sorts of drama as the owner kept changing his mind on selling the car. “I knew Clayton (Wright) for a long time; he would occasionally call or email me, trying to get me to buy the Barracuda. Everyone knew it was for sale for the past 10 years, but there were no takers, and he (Clayton) kept lowering the price,” said Don. “I really wasn’t looking to buy any cars. I turned down at least 40 cars that were offered to me in 2025 after my wife passed away in February. Clayton contacted me again, and I finally made an offer, and he accepted. The funny part is, two years ago, Clayton turned down my offer, which was twice the price I ended up getting it for now,” exclaimed Don.

Getting back to drama, this deal was a bit stressful for Don. “I bank-wired the payment to Clayton, then made the three-hour trip to New Jersey to pick up the HEMI Barracuda. Clayton knew I was coming, but two-hours into my trip, he called and said today is not a good day. I said I am maybe 45 minutes away, I am coming. I get there, and Clayton is at his front door, and the Barracuda was in his back yard, inside a trailer with cars and parts all strewn around it. Clayton kept saying today is not a good day. Come back next week. Clayton had owned the HEMI Barracuda since 1977, and I could tell he was having seller’s remorse,” noted Don. “I wasn’t leaving without the car, so I told Clayton we could go to the bank now, and you give me my money back, but he kept stalling. After four hours of a heated discussion that involved the local police, Clayton’s kids threatening me, the deal was finally made. I loaded up the Barracuda car and left for home.”

Now that the ‘Slo-Motion’ Super Stock HEMI Barracuda resides in Don’s awesome collection, we’re sure he’ll have it and his other machines on display at car shows this summer. “I usually bought these cars just for my wife’s enjoyment and therapy. But I love the hunt, doing the deal and negotiating with the sellers of these rare cars. Not many people can say they owned a 1-of-70 factory Super Stock 1968 HEMI Barracuda, let alone have four of these scarce machines at one time,” smiled Don.

Here’s a glimpse of the variety of factory Super Stockers currently in Don’s collection and how they looked back in the day.