Sprint car racing

Dave Blaney's winged sprint car

Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular primarily in the United States of America and Canada, as well as Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Sprint cars have very high power-to-weight ratios, with weights of approximately 1,400 pounds (640 kg) (including the driver)^[1] for 410 sprint cars; power outputs of over 900 horsepower (670 kW) are commonplace for these machines, which are around 140-340 more horsepower than 2014 Formula One engines. Typically, they are powered by a naturally aspirated, mechanically fuel injected (methanol) American V8 with an engine displacement of 410 cubic inches (6.7L) capable of engine speeds of 9000 rpm.^[2][3] Depending on the mechanical setup (engine, gearing, shocks, etc.) and the track layout these cars achieve speeds in excess of 160 mph.^[4] A lower budget and very popular class of sprint cars uses 360 cubic inch (5.9L) engines that produce approximately 700 horsepower (520 kW). Sprint cars do not utilize a transmission, they have an in or out gear box and quick change rear differentials for occasional gearing changes. As a result, they do not have electric starters (or even electrical systems other than magneto / ignition) and require a push to start them. The safety record of sprint car racing in recent years has been greatly improved by the use of roll cages, and especially on dirt tracks, wings, to protect the drivers.

Many IndyCar Series and NASCAR drivers used sprint car racing as an intermediate stepping stone on their way to more high-profile divisions, including Indianapolis 500 winners A. J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Johnny Rutherford, Parnelli Jones, Johnnie Parsons, Al Unser, Sr., and Al Unser, Jr., as well as NASCAR Sprint Cup champions Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart.

The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum located in Knoxville, Iowa, USA features exhibits highlighting the history of both winged and wingless sprint cars.

Non-winged sprint cars

There are several sanctioning bodies for non-winged sprint cars. The United States Automobile Club (USAC) has become the top series for non-winged sprint car racing throughout the United States, especially after taking over the Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) and turning it into the USAC/California Racing Association (USAC/CRA). This series has become the premier non-winged sprint car series on the west coast of the United States. USAC also has hosted the Silver Crown series, based in Indiana, for decades. The Silver Crown series was started in 1971 as an offshoot of the series that competed for the National Championship Trail including the Indianapolis 500, known as "big cars".^[5]

Non-winged sprint cars are considered the traditional sprint car, dating back to the first sprint cars in the 1930s and 1940s (that ultimately evolved into Indy Cars). Today, they are essentially the same car as a winged sprint car, only without wings. In fact, many of them have the "stub outs" in the frame for adding wings. They use the same 410ci and 360ci aluminum engines as their winged counterparts (although many local tracks have rules mandating steel blocks and some 305ci displacements, this is mostly a cost control). Their tuning and gearing are different for performance at lower RPMs than a winged car. Chassis set ups and tires are also different.

While they do not have the same top speed as a winged car (because they lack downforce for traction), they are thought by many to be more fun to watch. They tend to have a more extreme driving style and are often sliding sideways through corners and doing wheelies. This makes them more dangerous than winged cars and their crashes are known for their spectacular nature. They also lack the inherent safety that a wing provides. It is fairly uncommon for someone to be good at driving both winged and non-winged cars (especially at a professional level).

Winged sprint cars

World of Outlaws drivers make a Four Abreast lap at the Knoxville Raceway

The world's first winged car, known today as a winged sprint car, was created and driven by Jim Cushman at the Columbus Motor Speedway (Ohio) in 1958.^[6] In the early 1970s, many sprint car drivers began to put wings with sideboards on both the front and top of their cars. The added wings increased the downforce generated on the car, with the opposite direction of the sideboards helping to turn the car in the corners. The increased traction makes the car faster and easier to control.

The wing also affects safety. The added downforce lessens the likelihood of going airborne. When cars do go airborne, the wings frequently break off or absorb some of the impact of the flip, lessening the impact on the driver. Wings also provide an amount of protection for the driver in case of an accident and are sometimes referred to as "aluminum courage." In some cases, teams are able to replace the wing during the ensuing stoppage and are able to race once the race resumed.

In 1978, Ted Johnson formed the promotional body for winged sprint cars called the World of Outlaws. Racing throughout the United States from February to November, the World of Outlaws is the premier dirt sprint car racing series. Famous tracks featured in the series included the Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, the Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pennsylvania, the Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa and Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Each August, the Knoxville Raceway holds the Knoxville Nationals.

In 1987, Australia followed suit with its own national series for winged sprint cars called the World Series Sprintcars, founded by Adelaide based sedan driver and then Speedway Park track promoter John Hughes. Famous Australian tracks used in the WSS have included Speedway Park/City in Adelaide, South Australia, Claremont Speedway and later Perth Motorplex in Perth, Western Australia, Valvoline Raceway in Sydney, New South Wales, Archerfield Speedway in Brisbane, Queensland, and the Premier Speedway (home of the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic) in Warrnambool, Victoria. There is also a single meeting Australian Sprintcar Championship which has been run since 1963 and has been run under various class names before finally settling on the Australian Sprintcar Championship in 1979. While non-Australian (usually American) drivers are free to race in the WSS and other meetings including the various State Championships, only Australian drivers are permitted in the Australian Championship meeting.

The Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic at Warrnambool is the largest sprint car meeting in the world; in the 2014-15 season, the 2015 Classic race outdrew the Knoxville Nationals in entries.

Until the late 1990s, Sprintcars in Australia were restricted to 372 cui (6.0L) V8 engines as opposed to the 410 cui (6.7L) engines used in the United States. Currently Australia runs two classes of winged Sprintcars, the 410 or Open class, and one for cars with 360 cui (5.9L) engines. Both classes have separate Australian Championship meetings.

Midget cars

Midget Sprint Car

Midget cars are smaller versions of a full size sprint car, normally non-wing only. Midgets date back to the 1930s as a very common form of sprint car racing, still very popular today and also sanctioned by USAC. They are powered by 4-cylinder engines developing around 350 horsepower, but otherwise very similar to their larger cousins.

Mini sprint

Mini sprint car

Mini sprints are similarly sized to midget cars, but have an upright-style chassis and a center-mounted, chain-driven 4-cylinder motorcycle engine with a displacement between 750 to 1200cc.

Micro sprints

Winged micro sprint

Micro sprints are small racecars that are smaller versions of full sprint cars. A starter class for striving sprint car enthusiasts, they run side mounted 600cc motorcycle engines developing around 100hp and are chain driven. They have a chassis and a body styled like that of a full sized sprint car or a midget sprint. Micro sprints are generally run on small dirt tracks that are usually a fifth of a mile or less in size, though they sometimes run on larger tracks. They can be either raced with wings or without wings. The general minimum weights for the cars to pass tech is 750 lbs for winged and 725 lbs for non wing. Micro sprints are generally a cheaper alternative than racing a mini sprint or a midget sprint, but they can be as expensive as a full sized sprint car.

Sanctioning bodies

The World of Outlaws (WoO) is a division of 410ci winged sprint cars that run all over the United States and have a few events in Canada. The cars have 15-inch (380 mm) wide right rear tire and a 410 cubic inch engine with mechanical fuel injection. These sprint cars have no battery or a starter in them, necessitating a push start by a quad or truck. They also do not have flywheels, clutches or transmissions, but the direct drive system can be engaged or disengaged from the cockpit. This is done both for weight reasons and tradition. Another tradition the WoO has for their A-main (the last race of the event) is to have the cars line up four wide just before starting the race.

The All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) is an American motorsports sanctioning body of winged sprint car racing founded in 1970. The series sanctions 410ci sprint car races in Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, New York, and Florida. On average the series runs 40 races per year, starting February and ending in October each year.

The United States Automobile Club (USAC) National Sprint Car Championship is a division of non-winged 410 cubic inch sprint cars that run throughout the United States on asphalt and dirt tracks. The USAC also sanctions regional 360ci non-winged sprint car series: the USAC East Coast Sprint Cars, USAC Southwest Sprint Cars, and USAC West Coast Sprint Cars.

The United Racing Company (URC) is a division for winged sprint cars that run mainly in the northeastern part of the United States in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. URC started in 1948 with 11 races in its season. It slowly progressed to 28 races. URC uses a 360 cubic inch engine which generates approximately 650 horsepower (480 kW). They race with alcohol fuel and use mechanical fuel injection (MFI) to deliver it into the combustion chamber.

The American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) is a winged sprint car series racing within the United States. ASCS uses a 360 cubic inch engine which leads to fans calling the cars "360s". The series was started by well-known racing promotor Emmett Hahn. The series national headquarters are in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The all-time leader in wins for the series is Texan Gary Wright with 127 A main victories under his belt.^[7]

In Australia, Sprint Car racing is controlled by the Sprintcar Control Council of Australia (SCCA) who sanction the Australian Championships and the World Series Sprintcar series as well as the various State Championships and other meetings held around the country.

Non-winged sprint car series

Series	Website	Engine	Founded	Countries	Locations
AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Championship	USAC	410ci	1956		Indiana, Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania
USAC/CRA AMSOIL Sprint Car Series	USAC/CRA	410ci	2004		California, Arizona
Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series	BOSS	410ci	2011		Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania
Lucas Oil POWRi Wingless Auto Racing	WAR	410ci	2012		Missouri, Kansas, Illinois
Michigan Traditional Sprints	MTS	410ci	2006		Michigan, Pennsylvania
Midwest Sprint Car Series	MSCS	410ci	2001		Illinois, Indiana
USAC East Coast Sprint Cars	USAC EC	360ci	2018		Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania
USAC Southwest Sprint Cars	USAC SW	360ci	1991		Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico
USAC West Coast Sprint Cars	USAC WC	360ci	2009		Arizona, California, Nevada
New Mexico Motor Racing Association	NMMRA	360ci	1946		New Mexico, Texas
Heartland Racing Association	HRA	360ci	2006		Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa
Heart of the West Racing Series	HOTWRS	360ci	2013		Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming
UMSS Traditional Sprint Car Series	UMSS	360ci	2011		Minnesota, Wisconsin
Northern Renegades	NRSCS	360ci	2017		Minnesota
C&H presents Hunt Magnetos Sprint Car Series	JHMSCS	360ci (Spec)			California
V8 Non-wing Sprints Australia	V8NWSA	346ci	2016		Queensland, Victoria, West Australia
Lucas Oil POWRi Elite Sprint Cars	Elite	305ci 410ci (2018+)	2014		Texas
Northeast Wingless Sprint Cars	NEWSC	Crate	2015		New Jersey, New York
RUSH Sprint Car Series	RUSH	Crate	2018		Ohio, Pennsylvania
Wisconsin Wingless Sprint Series	WWSS	Crate	2015		Wisconsin
Australian Wingless Sprint Racing	AWSR	V6			New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, West Australia

Winged sprint car series

Series	Website	Engine	Founded	Countries	Locations
World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series	WoO	410ci	1978		27 states including Canada
All Star Circuit of Champions	ASCOC	410ci	1970		Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Wisconsin
National Sprint League (ended)	NSL	410ci	2014-2016		Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, South Dakota
IRA Outlaw Sprint Series	IRA	410ci	1967		Illinois, Wisconsin
King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series	KWS	410ci	1960		California
Sprintcar Challenge Tour	SCT	360ci	2017		California
Midwest Open Wheel Association Sprint Car Series	MOWA	410ci			Illinois, Iowa, Missouri
Northern Outlaws Sprint Association	NOSA	410ci	1994		Manitoba, Minnesota, North Dakota
Ohio Valley Sprint Car Association	OVSCA	410ci	2010		Ohio, West Virginia
Fremont/Attica Sprint Title	FAST	410ci &305ci	2009		Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania
Ohio Sprint Car Series	OSCS	410ci	2016		Ohio
Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series	ASCS	360ci	1992		Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas
Civil War Sprint Car Series	CWSC	360ci	1993		California
Empire Super Sprints	ESS	360ci	1983		New Jersey, New York, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Quebec
Midwest Sprintcar Association	MSA	360ci	1996		Wisconsin
Nebraska 360 Sprint Series	NSS	360ci			Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota
Patriot Sprint Tour	PST	360ci	2003		New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Ontario
Southern Ontario Sprints	SOS	360ci	1996		Ontario
Sprint Cars of New England	SCoNE	360ci	2004		New Hampshire, Vermont
Sprints on Dirt	SOD	360ci			Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Ontario
United Racing Club	URC	360ci	1948		Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania
United Sprint Car Series	USCS	360ci			Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee
Upper Midwest Sprint Car Series	UMSS	360ci	2009		Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin
World Series Sprintcars	WSS	410ci	1987		New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria
Oval Superstars Tour		410ci	2016		North Island including Wellington, Palmerston North, Napier, Stratford, Huntly
Ultimate Sprintcar Championship	USC	410ci	2014		New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria
Sprintcar All Stars	SCAS	360ci	2007		New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria

Sprint Car World Championship

Despite the 50 plus years of Sprint car racing, the category has only ever held one unofficial "world championship". This was in 1987 at the ⅓ mile (586 metres (641 yd)) Claremont Speedway in Perth, Western Australia. The event attracted the best drivers from Australia, NZ, Canada, and South Africa, as well as several World of Outlaws drivers. Australian veteran Garry Rush from Sydney, a 10-time winner of the Australian Sprintcar Championship, was the winner.

Television coverage

Sprint Car Books

There are a number of publications featuring Sprint Cars. Full Throttle Publishing, based in Sydney Australia, have numerous books including "Caged Heat - The Wild World of Sprint Car Racing"

Safety aspects

The safety record of sprint car racing in recent years has been greatly improved by several new mandatory safety regulations including the use of roll cages to protect the drivers, fuel tank bladders to prevent fuel leakage, alcohol fuel, requirements to use a six or seven-point safety harness seatbelt two years old or newer, and driver suit standards to consist of two layers and rated at least SFI 3.2A/5. In addition, drivers must wear nomex driving gloves. Other equipment requirements include: helmets must be full coverage and must exceed Snell 2000 rating; arm restraints systems must be used; cars must have a 1/8 inch wire debris/rock screen in the front roll cage opening covering the entire opening; and headrests mandatory on the right side of the drivers seat. Some sanctioning bodies are also requiring a head and neck restraint system.

Winged sprint cars also have the wing safety aspect, as those sprint cars are able to marginally improve their safety with wings that absorb some of the energy from violent flips and crashes, although winged sprint cars are generally traveling at higher speeds than their non wing counterparts.

See also

• List of National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductees
• National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum
• World of Outlaws
• Knoxville Nationals
• National Sprint Tour
• Australian Sprintcar Championship
• Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic
• World Series Sprintcars
• Oval Superstars Tour
• Australian Sprintcar Grand Prix
• Open sportsman

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sprint car racing.

• Official USAC website
• World of Outlaws
• UK Sprintcars
• SprintcarWorld - Racing in Australia
• Australian series