7 replies to this topic

[Bob Riebe]

Particularly the rear-engined ones that thrived out West for quite some time.

Such as this very clean one.

 

While checking on the Formula A USAC race in Washington back in 1971, I often came up with pictures of Super Mods., especially as Tipke built cars that could race as Formula A cars.

Are there any books on these cars at all.  One can find, although now very expensive many books on sprint car or cars out East but racing in the West of any kind is only found by doing online searches  in an odd manner as most builders of these cars have little recognition.

 

I am just as curious about the rules as some have huge off-set and some have zero off-set.

I know some of the West came to the mid-land and East and vice-versa but even a site like Jakesite , unless you know a lot tell you little.

 

Out east the modifieds, not supers, with massive off-set, used to race at Watkins Glen,  the Western supers, especially the Rear Engined ones would have been quite a spectacle at the Kent race track.

Edited by Bob Riebe, 17 February 2018 - 22:23.

[Lee Nicolle]

The name Supermodified applies to a LOT of different classes of car. Here in Oz we cloned that name with what was coming from the West coast USA which are entirely different cars. They are upright cars with a clutch and beam axles front and rear and often wings on top of the cage.

The evolved into Sprintcars here late 70s early 80s.

When I can get into Post Image I will put up a pic.

 

Google Marshal Sargeant and you will find quite a few pics including cars that came to Oz.

Edited by Lee Nicolle, 16 February 2018 - 23:35.

[Jim Thurman]

No, super modified is all ONE class of car, just evolved into different rules in different places. Basically, they're split into pavement and dirt supers and evolved differently for the surfaces. BOTH types were on the West Coast of the USA.

 

Pavement supers gradually evolved into the offsets after going through roadster-style and rear engine style (the latter being banned from most associatioms over time), while dirt supers maintained the upright, sprint car style, albeit with some differences in chassis and bodywork. 

 

The San Jose cars that went to Australia were uprights still using drastically cut down coupe style bodies through the late 70s, even on pavement (the Sacramento area cars continued in this vein, as they were dirt oriented all along). The NASCAR sanctioned super modifieds ran both dirt and pavement, but were far more pavement oriented. Their rules didn't allow for the radical offsets and rear engines that were allowed in other pavement super racing in other regions (Oswego, Great Lakes, CAMRA, Northwest U.S. and Mountain states). When Madera (CA) dropped from NASCAR sanction, they quickly became like the other pavement supers, with offsets and rear engines. Then San Jose Speedway closed at the end of 1977, forcing the local NASCAR supers to dirt at the fairgrounds. Most dirt supers evolved into sprint cars by the early 80s, with San Jose/NASCAR hanging on until the late 80s.

 

Dirt supers always maintained an upright, sprint car type appearance as offset and rear engine cars weren't that applicable on dirt (though it was sometimes tried!).

[Jim Thurman]

Particularly the rear-engined ones that thrived out West for quite some time.

Such as this very clean one.

 

While checking on the Formula A USAC race in Washington back in 1971, I often came up with pictures of Super Mods., especially as Tipke built cars that could race as Formula A cars.

Are there any books on these cars at all.  One can find, although now very expensive many books on sprint car or cars out East but racing in the West of any kind is only found by doing online searches  in an odd manner as most builders of these cars have little recognition.

 

I am just as curious about the rules as some have huge off-set and some have zero off-set.

I know some of the West came to the mid-land and East and vice-versa but even a site like Jayski , unless you know a lot tell you little.

 

That photo is clearly at a Northeastern track. Thompson?

 

I've highlighted a big point. While there have been some books on racing in the Western U.S., there aren't as many. Sadly, Western racing hasn't been chronicled that well aside from rapidly disappearing racing newspaper archives and the occasional annual. Super modified racing in particular is a void.

 

As far as the rules, those varied from sanctioning body to sanctioning body. Some limited amount of offset, others did not. Same for wings and rear engined cars.

 

Some of the big open competition super modified series in the early to mid 70s were classic showdowns. The Golden West Classic/Golden State Classic series in California and Ohio State 500 saw some of the best from around the country meet up. I neglected to mention the pockets of super modified racing in Texas and along the gulf.

Edited by Jim Thurman, 17 February 2018 - 21:09.

[Bob Riebe]

I found over at Jakesite that this car belongs to Fred Graves from 1974.

There is another clean one on that RE Super Mod. Jakesite page that he thinks is Jack Laird.

Wally Pankratz, who retired a few years back drove one that resembles a later style F-1 car.

If you are familiar with the first two name, that will tell where they came from.

It was an article in Open Wheel magazine waaay back in the eighties that I found out that rear-engines super-modifieds even existed. Sadly that magazine paid them little attention of any sort.

[Lee Nicolle]

Maybe F1 and Indy car should look at that pic. A far better idea than the stupid halo.

Paint it black, add the airbox and it is near invisible.

Would it help all the time? Hitting tractors probably no, head first into a steel upright probably no, keeping errant springs out maybe, keeping wheels out yes. Having a big rollover, defenitly.

[oldtransamdriver]

My first visit to Oswego was in 67, and the first car I saw coming around turn 4 was Red Barnhart.

Look him up on JakeSite, and also Jim Shampine who built a rear engine car.

 

I have many fond memories of Oswego including Bentley Warren, Warren Coniam, Ken Andrews, and many

others - was always good oval track racing there. I have been to countless oval tracks in Canada and the U.S.

and Oswego was my favourite.  Last time there was when Joe Gosek won the Labour Day Classic, maybe 16

years ago.

 

Robert

Edited by oldtransamdriver, 19 February 2018 - 20:13.

[Bob Riebe]

I am putting this here as there are so many threads already.

To Allen Brown:

In your old racing cars section , have you considered a misc. section for the Formula Libre cars that raced in the U.S. in the early sixties, i.e. the Sadler, the Scarab or the Holynski.

Put wide tires on the survivors and they are probably a lot quicker that people think they are or were.

 

If formula Libre races had taken place on the West Coast some the rear-engined Super-mods  would have fit right.

Edited by Bob Riebe, 24 February 2018 - 02:41.