A Pennsylvania man faces felony fraud, theft, and deception charges after state police accused him of illegally disguising a NASCAR race truck as street legal. Yancy Cupp of Williamsport allegedly swapped a Vehicle Identification Number plate onto the truck that did not belong to it originally. He reportedly then used that VIN to title the purpose-built track vehicle for road use.
Pennsylvania State Police issued a press release, saying the truck was advertised as a street-legal 1999 Chevy S10 in an eBay listing. The for-sale ad claimed the conversion was performed by its former NASCAR owner, though said former owner explicitly denied the claim. “A physical examination of the vehicle by investigators confirmed it was not street legal,” the police wrote.
Carlisle Auctions later sold the truck for $10,000.
Right now, you can find a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series racer for sale on Carlisle’s site. It features pretty much everything you’d expect to see on a converted race vehicle—which some companies specialize in—like a license plate, inspection sticker, and even an emissions sticker. It also has high- and low-beam headlights, blinkers, and a horn.
Photos show the truck when it ran at the NASCAR Bristol dirt race in 2023. It looks almost identical now, except the headlights and taillights are functional units; the truck’s previous iteration only had stickers to make it look like they were present. The Silverado-bodied truck even runs the same 406-cubic-inch V8 as it did back in its glory days.
The major issue here, in the Pennsylvania State Police’s eye, is that Cupp may have fraudulently installed a VIN plate from an unrelated vehicle. That’s why law enforcement has thrown the book at him. Officially, he’s being 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.
Exactly what’s necessary to make a competition vehicle street legal varies between states. Some argue that the truck should have met the requirements if it featured headlights, taillights, blinkers, and a horn. However, the Pennsylvania State Police clearly does not agree.
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