Police have charged a man from Pennsylvania with allegedly passing off a former NASCAR race truck as street-legal and selling it.
The Williamsport resident allegedly attached a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) plate from another vehicle onto the former NASCAR race truck. The race truck was also allegedly titled for street use using the false VIN.
A Pennsylvania State Police press release revealed that an investigation found that the man had purchased the race truck from a NASCAR driver. After making the illegal alterations to it, he advertised it on eBay as a Chevrolet S10 that the former owner had converted to street-legal (which the former owner denied). He then sold it at Carlisle Auto Auction for $10,000.
“A physical examination of the vehicle by investigators confirmed it was not street-legal,” police wrote.
As shown in the photo above, driver Norm Benning raced the truck at the 2023 NASCAR Bristol Motor Speedway dirt race. The only noticeable visual differences between the truck when it raced and when the man sold it were functional headlights and taillights.
According to police, the man was charged with dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities; alteration or destruction of a vehicle identification number; theft by deception; forgery; criminal use of a communication facility; deceptive business practices; false application for a certificate of title or registration; tampering with public records; and board of vehicle violations.