Think Drifting is Boring? Watch This!

4wd INDY CAR

REMEMBER THIS ?
Sorry , couldn’t get the image to load . It was a photo of Andy Granatelli’s turbine engine indy car . Some folks didn’t know that the car was 4WD.

I disagree, but you may be right.

To me, simplicity + low cost = a field of cars.

And the reverse is also true.

I read recently that the current generation prefers their freakin’ phones to cars, period, so…we are appealing to them at our (actually your) expense?!

I also read an article featuring “The Snake” Prudhomme and his take was that drag racing has levelled off as well as all other forms of racing as a “niche sport”.

You can see the same trend in everything from slot cars to go carts.

Today’s youth ain’t the “Route 66” generation, and that is simply…that, IMO.

Rather than pander, let’s polish our own deal and they can come, or not.

[QUOTE=scottgarrity07;154401]I know we’re drifting off topic here (pun intended) but using the Circle Track model of using a stock port injected ecu motor to CUT costs of Super Late racing while modernizing it could lure a younger crowd back to our sport while making it healthier.

Here’s the concept: Maintain the chassis rules, ditch the ABC bodies and require ANY Stock body no older than 5-10 years modified with any ground effects you like, but no chopping down. Find a way for one manufacturer to develop an ECU that eliminates the techman’s headache of traction control (like F1 did). Then allow any engine configuration, granted that it chassis dynos at no more than say 600 hp and is stock based. It would allow innovation without an unfair advantage. Consider it a Modernized Outlaw Super Late. Puts the Stock back in Stock Car racing too. A pipe dream? Maybe, but if we continue to ignore progress we will become dinosaurs left behind. The modern Super Late Model motor has become this super expensive piece that is made more and more fragile (lighter internals and tighter clearances) to achieve more power. Expensive and Fragile is a bad combination. Cap the HP at a certain # and letting people get there how they see fit would save a ton of $. I wish someone like NASCAR (who would have the power to implement this) would jumpstart a project like this. Problem is Brian France cares more about counting and maintaining his family’s billions and NASCAR gave up on being the caretaker of weekly short track racing when his father died. One can dream tho…[/QUOTE]

Excellent idea. I like the idea of any engine configuration. It would be interesting to open the racing up to front drive, rear drive, and even all wheel drive. NASCAR is busy positioning themselves for the death of racing by building new facilities that are football friendly, so i wouldn’t look to them for any help at all.
Say…don’t you own a Pro Late? Take that body off, put on an import or small domestic body, throw in a computerized injected engine combination ( i’d recommend a turbo 4 or V-6, let’s see how it compares to a current V-8 ) and let’s get this show on the road. It’s going to take one person to be a groundbreaker.

“Say [Scott]…don’t you own a Pro Late? Take that body off, put on an import or small domestic body, throw in a computerized injected engine combination ( i’d recommend a turbo 4 or V-6, let’s see how it compares to a current V-8 ) and let’s get this show on the road. It’s going to take one person to be a groundbreaker.”–Matt

Or drop the car off the jack on your favorite personal body part. :anim_pound:

Faster and cheaper.

(no offense intended, Mr Albee)

Scott, I really like your idea about the injected LS motor in Super Lates. I even like that CT525 GM crate for them. I would probably get another Super if they did something like that, but the current engine rules are just way too costly for the average racer.

Hey Joe, I wish that was my idea! It was originally done in that circle track article with Dalton Zehr. The car ran competitive with the Super Lates at NSS. My friends at Marsh Racing will be fielding a K & N car for Dalton at NSS on 2/15. I’ll ask him what happened to the car. I do know that the 525 crate is being used in the Nesmith Dirt Late Model Series. They come to East Bay for a week soon too.

And Matt, I have a Sportsman but if I put the import motor and body on it then I’d probably end up like a drifter. Racing against no one! Probably be only legal for drifting too! Nah, I’m just gonna buy me a trusty new crate and run Desoto and New Smyrna this year. My last crate lasted 5 yrs until it gave me trouble. A lot of bang for the $3200 bucks!