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Old 01-13-2009, 02:58 PM   #1
SSDiv6
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Default Re: Then vs Now - What Happened?

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There are a couple of excellent discussions going on here during the offseason, and reading them has brought a question to mind.

My first Indy was in 1966 and it was absolute paradise. Yes, I wanted to see the Pros, but more than anything I wanted to see the cars that were legends as baddest of the bad. These were the guys who were the best in the world at racing cars like I (and my friends) raced.

I'm talking about racers like Bill Spanakos (Monster Mash), Dick Moroso, George Cureton, Jess Tyree, Jere Stahl, Bill Jenkins, Ronnie Sox, Dick Landy, Dyno Don, etc.

Just a few years later I was looking for John Lingenfelter, John Dianna, Ed Hamburger, Mark Coletti, Barry Poole, Bo Laws, Ray Allen, Dave Boertman, Truman Fields, etc.

What's changed? Is it just that I was a serious gear head and took the time to recognize the really heavy hitters? Or that back then things were truly heads up and the fastest was easy to find?

Was it because that there were a bunch of monthly magazines featuring these cars? Was it because there weren't so many national events so seeing any of these guys from across the country was really special?

I honestly don't know and that's why I'm interested in everyone's opinion. I just know that there was a time when class cars truly DID have crowds around them in the pits and the stands didn't empty when they ran.

Maybe I'm looking at this all wrong, but it doesn't seem like the really excellent racers are household names for race fans any longer.
The difference is that in the early days, Sportsman racers had a lot more sponsorhips and factory support. It was the days of the "Factory Wars" and "Race on Sunday, Sell on Monday". They got a lot of ink ion adevrtisements and magazines. Today, very few get that type of ink.

In addition, Pro Stock was still a developing from the Super Stock class and was not a big professional class as today. The big Pro's in the early days were T/F and later F/C, which happened to mature also from Super Stock, to AF/X and finally F/C.
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Old 01-13-2009, 03:13 PM   #2
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Default Re: Then vs Now - What Happened?

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The difference is that in the early days, Sportsman racers had a lot more sponsorhips and factory support. It was the days of the "Factory Wars" and "Race on Sunday, Sell on Monday". They got a lot of ink ion adevrtisements and magazines. Today, very few get that type of ink.

In addition, Pro Stock was still a developing from the Super Stock class and was not a big professional class as today. The big Pro's in the early days were T/F and later F/C, which happened to mature also from Super Stock, to AF/X and finally F/C.

Very true! And it was all so very new and exciting.
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Old 01-13-2009, 03:14 PM   #3
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Default Re: Then vs Now - What Happened?

Also, we ran off of national records, not the too-soft indexes we have now that just about anything will run under. In hot weather you may not find more than three or four cars at a race that could actually break out. We were allowed to run 1/10th under. The faster cars usually won. Now, it's dumbed down to mostly et brackets. Unless you get in a popular class with a good chance for a heads-up, you won't actually do much real racing. Stockers were in magazines, SSDI covered the east coast cars, and Car Craft (John Diana, and later Rick Voglin were racers and the editors) covered the west coast cars. Imagine the indexes lowered one second today, that is about what we had then.
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Old 01-13-2009, 03:31 PM   #4
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Default Re: Then vs Now - What Happened?

In other words PROGRESS.It's a different world than then,just as 20 years in the future what we're doing is going to seem like the 2nd golden age.It's like that in every phase of our lives.We dont like it,but that's
the way the world revolves.
(I miss those days though).....................................

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Old 01-13-2009, 03:37 PM   #5
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Default Re: Then vs Now - What Happened?

We're also in an attention-deficit age... there are many more things for people to spend their money on and/or pay attention to. Also, "back in the day" everything was 'new', and people marveled at everything. The general populace today has expectations born out of the "been there, done that" mentality. That being said, I think that many folks would be newly impressed at today's show if they would go again (or for the first time).
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Old 01-13-2009, 03:37 PM   #6
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Default Re: Then vs Now - What Happened?

I think those were the innovators of the day, and Class racing was where it is at.

Now the NMRA, NMCA, ORSCA, etc outlaw street car stuff is where the attention is, and so thats where the innovators are
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Old 01-14-2009, 02:26 PM   #7
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Default Re: Then vs Now - What Happened?

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I think those were the innovators of the day, and Class racing was where it is at.

Now the NMRA, NMCA, ORSCA, etc outlaw street car stuff is where the attention is, and so thats where the innovators are


I totally agree, the people around our area, ask us all the time to come ORSCA racing. Thats the happening thing in the SOUTH. I do race NMRA and some ORSCA race when it doesnt conflict with NHRA-IHRA. The



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Old 01-14-2009, 04:57 PM   #8
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Default Re: Then vs Now - What Happened?

Do they have SS classes?
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Old 01-14-2009, 06:09 PM   #9
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Default Re: Then vs Now - What Happened?

Ed,

The '55 Pontiacs were slugs because they only had 287 cubic inches and no multiple carburetion, for 180hp (2bbl) and 200hp (4 bbl). In '56 it got better with 317 cubic inches, and they added a two four-barrel option (205hp.one 2bbl; 227hp, one 4bbl; 285hp 2-4bbls). But, the '57's would RUN.... with 347 cubes, bigger valves, and three two barrels (the ORIGINAL "Tri-Power", which Pontiac copyrighted.) 270hp for one 4bbl, 290hp with the "mild" 3 X 2 setup, and up to 317hp with the 3-2bbl setup with a good (factory) cam. I think that John Zink's car had an optional solid lifter setup, too.

They had 2 four barrels one year only (1956), 'til the 421 "Super Duty" motor came out in '62.

Hope this helps..
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Old 01-14-2009, 09:08 PM   #10
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Default Re: Then vs Now - What Happened?

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Do they have SS classes?


No, they dont, but they have a 6.0 class and we have ran the SS there a couple of times, but i also have a 10sec N/A strip/street mustang that I run in the 7.0 classes, and then i run NMRA O/C or True Street.



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