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A Race Fan's Perspective


Budman

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As a race fan in the stands back in the early '60s as a kid 11 or 12 years old, I cut my racing teeth on watching those magnificant guys race those super-modifieds and when the opportunity permitted, sprints and midgets. Some had cages and some were still truly open cockpit cars.

 

As a fan, when you sat in those stands and watched a race, coming out of two, down the backstretch and into 3 and 4, you watched the cars. Coming out of 4, down the front stretch and into one, you watched the drivers.

 

Then, along came the big wings and enclosed stock cars. When that happened, they took away the best half of the show. No longer were race fans ever able to watch the drivers again. THAT'S the big difference between now and then, and it wasn't a change for the better from a race fan's perspective.

 

Look at Bill White in this photo. Cool or What?

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I agree with you completely Buddy. I used to love to watch the sprints run until they came along with the big wings and hid the drivers. One driver I used to love to watch wheel his sprinter was Jan Opperman. I know the wings are safer but why do they make them so big they hide the driver..... :unsure:

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Dano,

 

USAC has proven a thousand times over, you don't have to have WINGS to put on a good show for the fans.

I've been to USAC shows and I've been to WoO shows. I'll take a USAC show over a WoO show, hands down, anytime, for that very reason!

 

I much prefer to watch drivers than big ass gawdy wings!

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Dano,

 

USAC has proven a thousand times over, you don't have to have WINGS to put on a good show for the fans.

I've been to USAC shows and I've been to WoO shows. I'll take a USAC show over a WoO show, hands down, anytime, for that very reason!

 

I much prefer to watch drivers than big ass gawdy wings!

 

Agree once again Buddy. I always enjoyed the USAC sprints more than the WoO shows.

 

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As a fan, I'm not in favor of winged cars. The non-winged Super Modifieds, with just enough sheet metal/fiberglass to cover/decorate the roll cage are really beautiful race cars.

Like this one?

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Those kinda look like the BigBlock Modifieds that run on dirt in the NY area that Bob McCreadie runs in. Never really seen the asphalt version.

 

That pic is taken at Oswego Speedway, New York. They have two classes of open wheel modifieds, the Supers, and the Limited Supers.

 

The pic you posted is the Limited Supers. The limiteds run small blocks basically centered in the chassis.

 

The open Supers run big blocks in about anything you can think of, and a whole lot more tire.

 

Here is an example of what the open Super looks like up there

 

Remember also the ISMA series that runs these cars WITH wings at various tracks in the Northeast.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here is our awnser to a simular class that would be cool to see run at THR. they are on a sport mod chassis running a bomber running gear on DOT street tires. And one of the rules is NO ROOFS. Not as fast as the super mods but still should be fun to watch and drive.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks snaproll, Did you get any pics of Keith White in the Sport Mod that night? I would like to buy a few of Keith, Geo, Troy Taylor, Keith Green are others from that night. I don't know about you bit I seen several if not all the "topless 100" events and 07 tops them all (JMO).

Troy leads a flawless 92 laps the the Geo flash took over, and there were still about 20 cars on the track. Wow! what a show!

 

Then Keith White runs another flawless sport mod 40 lap-per! Boy the White boy is tooo smooooth!

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