[Wes Boyd]

Got a question, mostly for you real old timers or people that come from racing families.

While I went to a track or two back in the day, it wasn't often and my memory isn't clear -- but what did they do for an economy/beginner class back around 1970, give or take a few years?

I've heard discussion of "jalopys" but I'm not real clear on how they would be definied in track terms in that period. What would a jalopy have been in 1970? Something stock and, oh, pre-1950? Or what?

I've also heard talk of a six-cylinder class. Would that maybe be for compact cars (i.e. Ford Falcons, Chevy IIs, like that) or full size cars with sixes (Ford Galaxies, Chevy Impalas. like that)?

I'm sure that like today different tracks, different rules, but all I'm really looking for is a general direction.

Thanks -- here's a topic for a little bench racing on a winter's day.

[Frenchracing]

I know at the dirt tracks the "cheap" cars were called sportsman believe it or not. They were actually homemade. They wre called uprights sportsman. some tracks called them upright modifieds. !937 ford hubs and brakes(wide 5), lever shocks, straight sixes mostly, top loader 3 speeds homade sheetmetal bodies. They wre the predessesor to the modern day sprint car.

[oldgold]

we had bombers, flyers, flyingstocks, hobbys, streetstocks,sportsman,detroit irons,6 cylinder hobbys, purestox,
my father raced at owosso speedway and they had a drivers club where when you joined you got a nice t-shirt that said owossos rocket motor speedway where you ride the rim( the top of the track) races started on mothers day and at times it still had snow on the ground.
pit passes were $2.50 and it paid $150 to win
the stands were $1.25 hot dogs were 25 cents and cokes were 15 cents.
that was 1957 they only had 1 division and they called them early model stocks. when i started in 69 my first car was a 57 chevy coupe with a 6 cylinder stick and it took me 7 years to win my first race and that was at autocity. Oldgold Rick Gokee sr. Note that was 60 some years ago and its still only $150 to win

[Sortabigg]

Drivers meeting at Owosso Speedway circa 1950.....something, help me out pops! Plus you know the names of most of these people. If you notice the guy on the right, his arm patch says Rocket Motor Speedway.


_________________
~~~~Steve "Big Daddy" Orta~~~~
She is gone but not forgotten.
And her sister is here!

[Sortabigg]

Wes, heres a 6 cylinder i believe racing back in 73'


_________________
~~~~Steve "Big Daddy" Orta~~~~
She is gone but not forgotten.
And her sister is here!

[martyb]

Most of the tracks had only 1 class of cars until the early 60's. Then you had flying stocks, dive bombers, and believe it or not, figure eights. Then later on in the 60's hobby stocks were put in for the beginners. Then in 1970 at Spartan and Jackson, the super sixes evolved. You had the same problem then that you do now with experienced drivers in this lower inexpensive class. As a whole, Rick (Old Gold) covered it pretty good.
The "jolopies" refered to the stock cars of the earlie 50's before they evolved into the super modifieds. Thanls Marty Blume

[oldgold]

[oldgold]

[tricknology]

by 1970,,, what used to be called "Modifieds" in the late 1950's and ear;y 1960's were gone at most michigan tracks.

I started going to Oval tracks in the late 1960's.

Most tracks had 3 basic divisions,,,

an economy 6 cylinder class, that was mostly 1955 to 1957 Chevys with some 1955 to 64 full sized fords. these cars also ran the Figure 8 at most tracks. they raced on street tires or recapped tires with soft rubber that could be groved.

then there was the midle class called Sportsmans at most tracks, they were small v8's, 283 chevys bored 1/8 " over to get 301 CI,,many tracks made them run a 2 barrel carb. They were mostly 1955 to 1957 Chevys with some 1955 to 64 full sized fords. these cars also ran the double "O" race at some tracks ( Mt clemmons). they used recaped tires that had softer rubber.

(but by 1972, most of these classes were losing car counts, because the 55 to 57 chevys were getting hard to get and were becoming expensive).

then there was the Late model division,,basically stock type cars with big block engines ( 427's) with wide ( 12 to 16 inch) racing rubber. these cars were Galaxys and Chevelles.

by the mid 1970s most tracks droped the 6 cylinder and sportsman calss due to dwindling car counts and short supply of 55 to 57 chevys, and started a street stock class based on the chevy chevelle with a 327 or 350 v8. they even wrote rules that outlawed the better handling 55 to 57 chevys by not allowing cars older than 1960. this took off like wild fire, and many tracks had 50 or more chevelle type street stocks in the late 1970's. many of these chevelles were LESS than 10 years old!

Man, we used to get SS Chevelles by the dozens, gut them out , add a cage , go race,,, these cars now a days would be worth over $50,000!

me and a buddy made a race car out of a 1967 Impala SS 327 4 speed car from california with only 70,000 miles and NO rust! then i went and raced 1970 to 72 Olds cutlasses with the 350 olds engine for years, I must have cut up about 15 to 20 of these cars !

arnold.

[tricknology]

here is a picture of my first Olds cutlass,,,NOte the body was slid back about 4 inches on the frame so i could move the engine back in chassis and not get caught moving the engine back,,,I saw the tech guy mesuring the clearance between the firewall and the distributor,,,so i just moved the whole body to the rear, and set back the engine to get more rear weight ,,,Seeing how i was the only guy with a cutlass and an OLDS 350 v8,,,no one could tell!!

http://vprace.net/igallery/viewer.php?albid=1&stage=1&imgid=38

http://vprace.net/igallery/viewer.php?albid=1&stage=1&ref_imgid=38

[tricknology]

more photo links of 60's and 70's race cars,,,

http://www.waterwinterwonderland.com/speed.asp?ID=1582&type=9&noinfo=true

http://www.waterwinterwonderland.com/speed.asp?ID=1608&type=9&noinfo=true

http://www.waterwinterwonderland.com/speed.asp?ID=1609&type=9&noinfo=true

http://www.waterwinterwonderland.com/speed.asp?ID=1757&type=9&noinfo=true

[lilhemi]

Great Photo's & Web Sites !!

It's always Fun to go back in time.

Thanks to everyone, very interresting.
_________________
Proud sponsor of Spartan Speedway. Along with 12 short track cars: 1 super late, 1 sprint, 2 mods, 8 ponys, & 1 truck.

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