NiftyNiblick

While we were checking in on the assembly of my resto-mod ’62 Corvette Fueilie Roadster, my son and I witnessed part of the construction of the coolest open-wheel asphalt short-oval car I've ever seen. The coolest thing about it is that it's technically ineligible to run in ANY recognizable racing class. The owner wants to zip it around the oval himself for his own enjoyment.

But you have to see this car. It has the nose and airfoil treatment of a super modified but the non-offset engine location and classic tail tank like an elongated sprint car or silver crown. Neither sprints nor supermods allow independent front suspension, however, so the suspension and symmetrical wheel arrangement is more like a NASCAR Whelan Series open-wheel modified.

The motor isn’t remotely as powerful as a methanol supermod or sprint engine, but it’s a nice 8-stack efi SBF pulled out of Factory Five Cobra-type road race car, fitted with a dry sump system to look like an oval car engine. Unlike a real oval track open wheel car with its in and out box, the car has the Tremek 5-speed from the Cobra, not the fastest arrangement for a short oval either.

I’m not a short track oval fan, but this car was so beautiful that my son and I really got a kick out of it. I honestly wish there was a class of this description because every oval track open wheel category up to rear-engined IRL has virtually no diversity of equipment to add to the interest.

mgarfias

I love roundy round stuff. Best racing there is. Especially winged sprints on dirt.

And, having worked [and driven once] on oval cars, I know just how hard it is to do. One other good thing: your local dirt oval is racing every saturday night.

But then, I'm a racing ****. I'll watch any racing, any time, any where.

69427

Grew up spending weekend nights at dirt tracks. My dad and his buddy won several championships with their cars. That was back when every racecar didn't look the same, and weren't plastered with stickers.
I've done several dirt sprint car driving schools. They're damn fun, and make my bigblock look tame in comparison.

95jersey

One thing we can all agree about Oval racing, is there is plenty of action and it is VERY competitive (can't deny that). One could say the racing action is closer (literally) than any road racing. I've done Pocono too many times to count, and digging the car around the banks is definately fun if you've never tried it.

But as a driver, for me, nothing beats conquering a fast, complex and technical road course. I think from a general spectator perspective, oval racing is popular because you can sit in a stadium like atmosphere (very American) and watch the entire race in front of you (like watching football, baseball).

I took a NASCAR buddy to a road race and he complained of only being able to see part of the race and not being able to know who was in what place without a radio.

To each his own, but I can definately see how NASCAR would be way more popular from a specator perspective.

ghoffman

I think it is more difficult to drive at the limit on an oval. Ask Montoya or Papis, how easy it is to beat Stewart at Watkins Glen, then they are even less competitive at an oval. Personally, the oval section at Loudon scares me more than the rest of the track even after running there for 19 years.

Mojave

I ran my stock 99 Firebird on the high banked (22 degrees), 2 mile oval at Texas World Speedway, and it was quite an experience. I wasn't going too fast (150 at the end of the straights, about 110 in the turns) but that outside wall looms BIG. It's great fun to dive to the bottom and power up on exit.

BrianCunningham

Ran mine up in NHMS and a small oval in Mich

Sure was fun!

Though the day didn't fair so well for my friend's Corvette when the engine blew due to oil starvation

Everett Ogilvie

While I have never been on a high speed oval, I agree with the pucker factor assessment. Everything I have ever heard about an oval indicates that you are on the most ragged edge, at extremely high speeds, for a much longer period of time, as compared to a corner here and a corner there on a road course - I think it is a question of completely different types of exposure. The consequences of hitting a wall at 150+ look pretty extreme to me. To the original question - while I prefer road racing overall, I love IRL and Nascar on the ovals, and local oval racing (dirt or asphalt) is a blast - a good friend of mine won the local asphalt oval modified series a few years ago.

VetteRacer725

The NASCAR guys are good drivers for sure!

rmackintosh

uh....no

davidfarmer

no........Indy500 back in the day...........but today NO

96solo

NASA-Az runs a lot at PIR (Phoenix) on NASCAR 3 and 4 oval.

I've got at least 500 laps In my TTS (375 rwhp) Corvette on this course and reach 104 mph on the oval without any added aero (wings, splitters, etc.). Dale Earnhart's car runs there between 99 and 103 mph in the same spot according to his telemetry, so the Corvette does very well on oral tracks. We have ACR members (AZ Corvette Racing) that can reach 114 mph with aero in 600 hp TTR cars.

Yes, the wall looms big, but you should be looking ahead for your line and not pay attention to the wall. The car goes where your eyes go.

D.J. Covert
Realty Executives Corvette Z 06 #96
2008 NASA-Az TTS Champion

96solo

Was this with a LS2 or LS3? No problems with the LS6.

MSURacing

Might be able to offer some insight into corvette power winning circle track races, http://www.schwankeshortblocks.com/

They are running LS3 style engines in the USAC western sprint car series, and Tony Hunt is leading the points with one!!!

Rob31

...

NASCAR314

Kinda hard to hide that I'm a NASCAR fan

I grew up watching asphalt stock and winged sprints on 1/3 and 1/2 mile tracks in Northern Ohio and it has stuck with me.

Today's NASCAR is as competitive as ever, teams are more equal (they ALL have a ton of money) and there are probably 25 drivers capable of winning each week. Compare that to 30 years ago when only 5 drivers were capable of winning any given race.

I've autocrossed the Vette at Rockford Speedway, Lake Geneva, Slinger, and, LaCrosse. You are kept coned down away from the wall, but still a BLAST every time I ran the ovals.

cire96

David's right. The 500 was captivating in the 60's and before. They ran what they built, two engine, four wheel drives, exotic engine set up's. It was truly exciting to watch. Making them formula cars lost me.
Cire
P.S. That said, by December, I'll watch lawn mower racing - hell, even my own in car stuff!

waddisme

I do the NASA thing at Lowes in Charlotte once a year. Road course part is not that exciting, but you get on the track and run from T1 all the way around to the flag stand. It is quite fun, but once a year is enough for me.

0Randy@DRM

Dirt oval racing is a great thing to do on a friday night in the midwest

Randy

Painrace

I ran dirt and asphalt for many years and loved it. My wife hates dirt track racing. I also won two TIDA (I think that is right) races at TWS in the late 70's. Everyone laughed when I took a road race Camaro there but it was the fastest of all the cars and most of the wrecks were behind me. I also loved Charlotte, Rockingham and Daytona. There is just something special and fun about going into a banked turn and not lifting and slowing down because of the banking forces. At a place like Charlotte you can't see far in front of you in the banking. The track ahead comed down from the top of the windshield.

AAHHH, the GOOD OLD DAYS!

Jim