Sprint cars?

[irlricefan13]

This is a very primitive question but at the same time something I do not know and would like to find out more about.

Why are sprint cars called sprint cars?

Indy cars are called like that because they run at Indy. Champ cars because of they run the championship, etc. but why a sprint car?

[aXe]

short races on short track= sprint races.
aXe

[NoviVespa]

Weren't they sort of forced to adopt that name? Before World War II you had big cars or championship cars. Then it became big cars and sprint cars.

[BigWheelHawaii]

Why are sprint cars called sprint cars?

Aloha Buddie,,,


Midgets, Sprinters, and the Big Cars,,, I think there were Sprint Cars from
the beginning of time... I think the name has to do with the format
of the racing program... Big Cars were bigger that Sprints, and
Midgets were smaller... Hence the Name,,, Big Cars... Hence
the Name,,, Midgets... Sprint Car's are what the other two
were judged by...

When I was a kid there were only Midgets, Sprint Cars, and the Big Car's...
The Big Cars ran at Indy in May, then ran 8 to 10 dirt shows across the
Nation, with a few paved shows thrown in, just for sport...

The first time I heard them called Champ Cars, was about the time they
were taken off the dirt, by the rear engine'd crowd... I think that is when I
started hearing them being called Champ Cars... Penshi and Patrick
had started calling the remaining races, "The Championship Trail"...
What a joke... Those two bandits were instrumental in getting the "Big Cars"
off the dirt... That was the beginning of the end, for me. I guess the
Ivy League Crowd couldn't handle the dirt, with their big wheeled MG's....

The "Big Cars" always qualified for starting positions, straight up... And
they started straight up, the fastest car on the pole... They ran 100
mile races on dirt, and somewhat longer shows on pavement...

Originally, Midgets and Sprinters "Qualified" only for a starting position
in one of the four, Qualifying Heat Races... You had to finish first, or
second in a "Qualifying Heat Race", just for a spot in the A Race...
Or what is now called the Main Event... Same for the Dash... But they
were all inverted,,, faster you went,,, the further back you started...

The Trophy Dash,,, was the big race of the night,,, hence the Trophy...

The winner of the Main Event didn't get a Trophy in the early years...
You got paid for the A Main win, but no Trophy ... The Dash was the
big show... The "Trophy Dash" was made up a couple of ways...
Either the winners from the four "Qualifying Sprint Races",
or they were the four fastest qualifiers... But the "Dash",
was the Big Show of the night... Winning a USAC Trophy Dash
was Big Time...

Then you had B, C, and maybe a D Race to make up the remaining
spots for the main event... The B, C, and the D races were made up
from the other cars, that didn't win, or didn't finish second in the
Heat Races...

The Big Cars had 70 gallon fuel tanks to run a hundred mile show,
nonstop... I think they were 70,,, maybe they were 60 gallons...

Sprint Cars always had small fuel tanks, even if they ran on the mile tracks...
The most they could run was around 30 laps, then they were out of fuel...
Sprinter were fast from the get go... Big Cars are heavy on fuel at
the start of a race real piggie's... By the time they burned the fuel off,
they also burn the tires off... Sprinter's are so much faster....

Sprint Car Races were all 30 laps, or less... Whether they ran
on a mile or a 1/2 mile, they were short races... Hence
the name, Sprint Car Race... Very seldom,,, did a Sprint Car's run on smaller
tracks then a 1/2 mile track... Like I said, I never saw a Sprinter on a track,
smaller then a 1/2 mile, until the late sixties... I can't think of one USAC
show that was run on a track shorter than a 1/2 mile... They tried to
run at San Jose once,,, but couldn't pull if off... It would of been
a great show...

The Midgets ran on the smaller Bull Rings,,,, 1/4's, 1/3rd's
and some 1/2 miles... Again, the races were only 25 to 30 laps long...
Turkey Nite,,, was the only exception, that was a 100 lap race
at the end of the year at Ascot...

The word Sprint Car, to me, means you had to "Sprint",,, if you
wanted to run, or race that car,,, that night...

You had to run wide open, right from the drop of the green flag...
You had to win or place in a Heat Race...
You had to 'Sprint"... You only had 6 or 8
laps to pass all the other cars, if you wanted to run in the Dash,
or get a spot in the A Main... If you were the fast qualifier
you started dead last in the Heat Races... You had to gas it, and go,
if you wanted to make the Dash... Originally all Sprint
Cars and Midgets, started inverted... They both followed
about the same format for years...

How promoters controled the "sandbagging" during qualifying", was
simple enought, it was through the Trophy Dash... The Dash was the
most important race of the night, the most prestigious race of
the show... It paid the most money, and it had the Trophy.....
The A Main paid good money for the first 6 spots, then all you got
was travel money, but still no Trophy.. You had to stand on the gas,,,
big time, or starve to death... The points system was different,
the points were earned through the A Main, and qualifying...
So there was a great balance to the shows..


So For Me,,,

The name Sprint Car Race, means a short, on the gas, balls
out race... It has nothing to do with the size of the track...
Like I said, I never saw a Sprint Car on a track smaller than a 1/2 mile
until the late sixties... Midgets ran the Bull Rings up to a
1/2 Mile track...

Midgets ran the Bull Rings up to a half mile...

Sprint Cars were on the 1/2 mile, to mile tracks...

Big Cars ran the mile, and larger tracks...

Hope This Helps Some,,,

Big

[cheeseczar]

Pretty much sums it up, Big. But you forgot a very important point:

Sprint cars are maybe the most beautiful racecars on the planet.

[SJFast]

I agree....at least they used to be.

My dictionary defines sprint as racing a short distance at a high rate of speed.

[Niseguy]

BWH great synopsis. USAC did run Hatfield, a 1/3rd mile dirt track in 1962 and 1963. Parnelli, herk, Foyt, marshman, McElreath, Rutherford Branson usually the night before trenton or Langhorne.

yes it was penske and patrick that got the dirt miles off the schedule. truely a shame!

[aXe]

BWH Big Wind Hawaii

http://www.trackforum.com/forums/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=983338

No sense kicking the past around again.
aXe

Aloha Buddie,,,


Midgets, Sprinters, and the Big Cars,,, I think there were Sprint Cars from
the beginning of time... I think the name has to do with the format
of the racing program... Big Cars were bigger that Sprints, and
Midgets were smaller... Hence the Name,,, Big Cars... Hence
the Name,,, Midgets... Sprint Car's are what the other two
were judged by...

When I was a kid there were only Midgets, Sprint Cars, and the Big Car's...
The Big Cars ran at Indy in May, then ran 8 to 10 dirt shows across the
Nation, with a few paved shows thrown in, just for sport...

The first time I heard them called Champ Cars, was about the time they
were taken off the dirt, by the rear engine'd crowd... I think that is when I
started hearing them being called Champ Cars... Penshi and Patrick
had started calling the remaining races, "The Championship Trail"...
What a joke... Those two bandits were instrumental in getting the "Big Cars"
off the dirt... That was the beginning of the end, for me. I guess the
Ivy League Crowd couldn't handle the dirt, with their big wheeled MG's....

The "Big Cars" always qualified for starting positions, straight up... And
they started straight up, the fastest car on the pole... They ran 100
mile races on dirt, and somewhat longer shows on pavement...

Originally, Midgets and Sprinters "Qualified" only for a starting position
in one of the four, Qualifying Heat Races... You had to finish first, or
second in a "Qualifying Heat Race", just for a spot in the A Race...
Or what is now called the Main Event... Same for the Dash... But they
were all inverted,,, faster you went,,, the further back you started...

The Trophy Dash,,, was the big race of the night,,, hence the Trophy...

The winner of the Main Event didn't get a Trophy in the early years...
You got paid for the A Main win, but no Trophy ... The Dash was the
big show... The "Trophy Dash" was made up a couple of ways...
Either the winners from the four "Qualifying Sprint Races",
or they were the four fastest qualifiers... But the "Dash",
was the Big Show of the night... Winning a USAC Trophy Dash
was Big Time...

Then you had B, C, and maybe a D Race to make up the remaining
spots for the main event... The B, C, and the D races were made up
from the other cars, that didn't win, or didn't finish second in the
Heat Races...

The Big Cars had 70 gallon fuel tanks to run a hundred mile show,
nonstop... I think they were 70,,, maybe they were 60 gallons...

Sprint Cars always had small fuel tanks, even if they ran on the mile tracks...
The most they could run was around 30 laps, then they were out of fuel...
Sprinter were fast from the get go... Big Cars are heavy on fuel at
the start of a race real piggie's... By the time they burned the fuel off,
they also burn the tires off... Sprinter's are so much faster....

Sprint Car Races were all 30 laps, or less... Whether they ran
on a mile or a 1/2 mile, they were short races... Hence
the name, Sprint Car Race... Very seldom,,, did a Sprint Car's run on smaller
tracks then a 1/2 mile track... Like I said, I never saw a Sprinter on a track,
smaller then a 1/2 mile, until the late sixties... I can't think of one USAC
show that was run on a track shorter than a 1/2 mile... They tried to
run at San Jose once,,, but couldn't pull if off... It would of been
a great show...

The Midgets ran on the smaller Bull Rings,,,, 1/4's, 1/3rd's
and some 1/2 miles... Again, the races were only 25 to 30 laps long...
Turkey Nite,,, was the only exception, that was a 100 lap race
at the end of the year at Ascot...

The word Sprint Car, to me, means you had to "Sprint",,, if you
wanted to run, or race that car,,, that night...

You had to run wide open, right from the drop of the green flag...
You had to win or place in a Heat Race...
You had to 'Sprint"... You only had 6 or 8
laps to pass all the other cars, if you wanted to run in the Dash,
or get a spot in the A Main... If you were the fast qualifier
you started dead last in the Heat Races... You had to gas it, and go,
if you wanted to make the Dash... Originally all Sprint
Cars and Midgets, started inverted... They both followed
about the same format for years...

How promoters controled the "sandbagging" during qualifying", was
simple enought, it was through the Trophy Dash... The Dash was the
most important race of the night, the most prestigious race of
the show... It paid the most money, and it had the Trophy.....
The A Main paid good money for the first 6 spots, then all you got
was travel money, but still no Trophy.. You had to stand on the gas,,,
big time, or starve to death... The points system was different,
the points were earned through the A Main, and qualifying...
So there was a great balance to the shows..


So For Me,,,

The name Sprint Car Race, means a short, on the gas, balls
out race... It has nothing to do with the size of the track...
Like I said, I never saw a Sprint Car on a track smaller than a 1/2 mile
until the late sixties... Midgets ran the Bull Rings up to a
1/2 Mile track...

Midgets ran the Bull Rings up to a half mile...

Sprint Cars were on the 1/2 mile, to mile tracks...

Big Cars ran the mile, and larger tracks...

Hope This Helps Some,,,

Big

[Ringleader]

Midgets also ran on the mile dirt tracks at Du Quoin, Indy, and Springfield. Twin 50's. Some great races, to bad that is long gone.

Champ dirt cars at one time ran smaller fuel tanks that requried a pit stop. I think after Arnie Kneppers car caught fire in the pits, a change was made to eliminate the pits stops.

Oh how I would like to see the current crop of IRL and Champ Car guys and gals have to run the dirt mile as part of the points. I seem to remember a story about a monkee and a football.

[Littleman]

Midgets have also run at the mile tracks at Trenton and Langhorne with races from 100 miles up to 300 miles, in length. Also, they've adapted fairly well to certain road courses. I do believe that there was a 500 mile midget race at the Riverside Road Course in 1958 that was won by Allen Heath. I also have seen where Sprint Cars have run on road courses, too. Even some of the older Silver Crown cars have also run on road courses, I believe.

[dwcremax]

For several years in the 60's Trenton ran a late season tripleheader that included a fifty miler for NASCAR modifieds and twenty-five milers for both the URC sprints and ARDC midgets. It was in the '63 version of this event that Steve Yannigan was killed in the midget race.

[slinger]

Midgets also ran on the 1.5 mile track at Trenton. Great show. They went faster than the NASCAR guys.

[NoviVespa]

How about that midget run by Roger Ward. Believe it was Watkins Glen.

[rlm]

Novi,

That was a race at Lime Rock Park in Conn. and the midget is still alive and well in the care of noted racing historian, author and all around nice guy, Gordon White of Virginia.

He is very active on the vintage circuits and I believe he still holds several speed records at Bonneville which he set with the car.

Any of his books are well worth the money for a fan of open wheel racing; they're extremely well researched and written and illustrated with lots of previously unpublished photographs and engineering drawings.

[NoviVespa]

I sort of knew that race was not at Watkins Glen, but, I was right in that it was in the east. He tried to do the same thing outside of Chicago. It was at the now defunct Meadowdale Raceway. From aeriel shots, that track is still there. Believe he went out with broken shocks.