Hunter Sanders has fond memories of growing up in his grandfather’s shop during the summertime working on his 1975 Chevy Nova. However, little did he know back then just how much that vehicle would mean to him.
“My grandparents, Gary and Debbie Cummings raced the car and I spent a lot of time when I was a kid at their place and working on random things with them,” said Sanders.
In 2010, his grandfather passed away and while Sanders inherited most of his tools, the car was sold when his grandmother moved and couldn’t take it with her.
More than a decade later, Sanders said he was flipping through old pictures on his phone when he came upon a photo of his grandfather with the car.
“A few years ago, I saw the car on Facebook Marketplace but by the time I messaged them, it had already sold. Then when I came across the photo again recently, my wheels went to turning and that’s when I decided I wanted to see if I could find the car again.”
While it may have been a long shot, Sanders took to social media in hopes someone would know where the vehicle might be.
“I am looking for this car,” he posted on Facebook. “This car once belonged to my grandfather and grandmother who both raced in this car. After my grandfather passed, the car was sold. Man, I sure would like to have this little piece of him back. I know I have several friends in the racing community that could help find this car.”
Within hours, many had commented that they knew several people who had once owned it and by the next day, Sanders had found the car.
“The car had changed hands nine times from the time it was sold and one by one, I was able to track them all down and ask where it went.”
Finding the current owner, Bailey Dushuanack in Dallas, Sanders reached out to share his story and to his surprise, Dushuanack agreed to sell it back to him.
“When I told him I was wanting to buy the car back, he said he would be willing to as he would want someone to do the same for him in that situation.”
Upon hearing the news the car was found, Sanders’s grandmother called him sharing her disbelief that he found it and how amazing it was.
“This is a story of my life that I’ll never forget,” said Sanders. ” I really miss my grandpa but having the car back is priceless.”
Sanders said he plans on fixing the car up, turning it into a streetcar, and keeping it in the family for generations to come.
