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Article #4: Stock car racing

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Stock car racing is a form of automobile Pearson and Richard Petty's Chargers
racing found mainly in the United States dominated the series that year.
and Great Britain held largely on oval The 1969 season was dominated by the
rings of between approximately a Dodge Daytona due to a radical body shape
quarter-mile and 2.66 miles (about 0.4 to change. This car exceed 200 MPH which was
4.2 kilometres) in length, but also raced a significant improvement over their
occasionally on road courses. Ovals competitors (180 MPH was common at the
shorter than one mile (1.6 km) are called time). Richard Petty could not come to
short tracks; unpaved short tracks are contractual terms with Dodge before the
called dirt tracks; longer ovals are 1969 season, but when he saw the Daytona,
typically known as superspeedways. Top he demanded that Plymouth make something
level races are generally 200 to 600 similar, but they declined (for the time
miles (300-1000 km) in length. Average being). He signed a lucrative deal with
speeds in the top classes are around 160 Ford and they made the Torino "Talladega"
mph (275.5 km/h), compared to 220 mph which had enough aerodynamic body
(354 km/h) in comparable levels of open improvements that it gave the Torino a
wheel racing. Some NASCAR races can get higher top speed with no other changes.
up to speeds of 200 mph at tracks such as It was not enough, however, to catch the
the Daytona International Speedway and Daytona. NASCAR feared that these
the Talladega Superspeedway. increasing speeds significantly surpassed
Stock Cars the abilities of the tire technology of
A stock car, in the original sense of the the day, and it would undoubtedly
term, is an automobile that has not been increase the number of gruesome wrecks
modified from its original factory that were occurring. As a result, the
configuration. Later the term stock car 1970 Homologation rules were changed so
came to mean any production-based that one car for every two U.S. dealers
automobile used in racing. This term was had to be sold to the public to qualify,
used to differentiate such a car from a hoping to delay the use of aero-bodies
race car, a special, custom-built car until tires could improve.
designed only for racing purposes with no For the 1970 season Dodge did not sell
intent of its ever being used as regular enough Daytonas to compete with their
transportation. aero-body, but Plymouth managed to sell
When NASCAR was first formed by Bill over 1,920 Plymouth Superbirds, which
France Sr. in 1948 to regulate stock car were almost identical to the Daytona.
racing, there was a requirement that any Petty came back to Plymouth in the 200+
car entered be made entirely of parts MPH Superbird, and easily won in 1970,
available to the general public through and '71. This led to several makes of
automobile dealers, and that all cars proposed 1972 "aero-cars" having their
must be from a model run of which at maximum engine displacement decreased to
least 500 cars of that model were sold to 5.8L (358 cu.in.) or they could remain at
the general public. This is referred to 7.0L with a Restrictor plate to limit top
as "homologation". In NASCAR's early speeds. As a result, Ford dropped out of
years, the cars were so "stock" that it NASCAR for several years.
was commonplace for the drivers to drive Fans, drivers, and manufacturers alike
themselves to the competitions in the car demanded a complete revamping of the
that they were going to run in the race. rules. NASCAR responded in a way that
While automobile engine technology had they hoped would make the cars safer and
remained fairly stagnant in WWII, more equal, so the race series would be
advanced aircraft piston engine more a test of the drivers, rather than a
development had provided a great deal of test of car technology.
available data, and NASCAR was formed The Modern Era
just as some the improved technology was 1972 brought so many rule changes, it has
about to become available in production prompted many to consider this year as
cars. Until the advent of the Trans-Am the start of the modern era of NASCAR
series in 1967, NASCAR homologation cars racing. In addition, R.J. Reynolds (the
were the closest thing that the public tobacco conglomorate) took over as the
could buy that was actually very similar major sponsor of NASCAR racing (changing
to the cars that were winning the the name to the "Winston Cup") and they
national races. made a significantly larger financial
The Early Years contribution than previous sponsors.
The 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket V-8 with a Richard Petty's personal sponsorship with
displacement of 303 cu.in. is widely STP also set new, higher standards for
recognized as the first postwar modern financial rewards to driving teams. The
overhead valve (OHV) engine to become sudden infusion of noticeably larger
available to the public, though all the amounts of money changed the entire
major manufacturers were also in the nature of the sport.
process of modernising their engine The 1973 oil crisis meant that large
designs. The Oldsmobile was an immediate displacement special edition homologation
success in 1949 and 1950, and all the cars of all makes were suddenly sitting
automobile manufacturers could not help unsold. From this point forward, stock
but to notice that its victories resulted cars were quickly allowed to differ
in noticeably higher sales of the greatly from anything available to the
Oldsmobile 88 to the buying public. The public. Modern racing "stock" cars are
motto of the day became "Win on Sunday, stock in name only, using a body template
sell on Monday". However, in spite of the that is vaguely modeled after
fact there were several competing engines currently-available automobiles. The
that were more advanced, the aerodynamic chassis, running gear, and other
and low-slung Hudson Hornet managed to equipment have almost nothing to do with
win in 1951, '52, and '53, with a 308 anything in ordinary automobiles.
cu.in. inline 6-cylinder that used an Modern stock cars may superficially
old-style flathead, proving there was resemble standard American family sedans,
more to winning than just a more powerful but are in fact purpose-built racing
engine. machines built to a strict set of
At the time it typically took three years regulations governing the car design
for a new design of car body or engine to ensuring that the chassis, suspension ,
end up in production and be available for engine, etc. are architecturally
NASCAR racing. Most cars sold to the identical on all vehicles. Ironically,
public did not have a wide variety of these regulations ensure that stock car
engine choices, and the majority of the racers are in many ways technologically
buying public at the time were not less sophisticated than standard cars on
interested in the large displacement the road. For example, NASCAR (the
special edition engine options that would premier stock car organization in the
soon become popular. However, the end of U.S.) requires carbureted engines in all
the Korean War in 1953 started an of its racing series, while fuel
economic boom, and then car buyers injection is now universal in standard
immediately began demanding more powerful passenger cars. Also, the majority of
engines. Also in 1953, NASCAR recommended production car engines use a double
that the drivers add roll bars, but did overhead cam (DOHC) and four valves per
not require them. cylinder, while NASCAR vehicles are
An excellent example of Homologation is restricted to two valves-per-cylinder
when Lee Petty won the national actuated by pushrods using a single
championship in 1954, when he raced a cam-in-block. Modern NASCAR engines are
Chrysler New Yorker with the largest restricted to a maximum displacement of
factory brakes available, using a Dodge 358 cu. in. (5.8L) even though there are
automotive Hemi V-8 engine with a still many production engines available
heavy-duty Dodge truck transmission. to the public that are noticeably larger.
Dodge was a division of Chrysler, and all In addition, The Ford Fusion, Dodge
of the parts he used were available to Avenger, Chevrolet Impala, and Toyota
the general public. Camry that will compete in the 2007
In 1955 Chrysler produced the C-300 with season are all front-wheel-drive sedans,
its 300 HP 331 cu in OHV engine, which but the NASCAR versions continue to use
easily won in 1955 and '56. rear-wheel-drive.
In 1957 several notable events happened. Engines, while still containing varying
The AMA banned manufacturers from using components from the various manufacturers
race wins in their advertising and giving who compete in the series, are of fixed
direct support to race teams, as they displacement, and are generally designed
felt it led to reckless street racing. to ensure all entrants have near-equal
This forced manufacturers to become vehicles. There are several categories of
creative in producing race parts to help stock car racing, each with slightly
racers win. Race teams were often caught different rules, but the key intention of
trying to use factory produced racing cars that look like production cars, but
parts that were not really available to with near-identical specifications
the public, though many parts passed underneath, remains true. The
muster by being labeled as heavy-duty super-speedways continue to require the
"Police" parts. Car manufacturers wanted use of a restrictor plate under each
to appear compliant with the ban, but carburetor to limit top speeds, while the
they also wanted to win. NASCAR tracks at shorter tracks do not require them.
the time were mainly dirt tracks with The closest European equivalent to stock
modest barriers, and during the 1957 car racing is probably touring car
season a Mercury Monterey crashed into racing, though these are raced
the crowd. This killed many spectators, exclusively on road courses rather than
and resulted in a serious overhaul of the ovals.
safety rules which in turn prompted the 'True' stock car racing, which consists
building of larger more modern tracks. of only street vehicles that can be
Also in 1957, Chevrolet sold enough of bought by general public, is sometimes
their new fuel injected engines to the now called showroom stock racing. In 1972
public in order to make them available (same year as the beginning of modern
for racing (and Ford began selling NASCAR era), SCCA started its first
superchargers as an option), but Bill showroom stock racing series, with a
France immediately banned fuel injection price ceiling on the cars of $3,000. Some
and superchargers from NASCAR before they modern showroom stock racing allow safety
could race. However, even without modifications done on showroom stock
official factory support or the use of cars.
fuel injection, Buck Baker won in 1957 Stock car series
driving a small-block V-8 Chevy Bel-Air. The most prominent championship in stock
In 1959 Daytona opened the first car racing is the NASCAR championship,
super-speedway with long straights and currently called the Nextel Cup after its
highly banked turns, which allowed much sponsor (formerly known as Winston Cup
higher top speeds, and it was soon after a previous sponsor). It is the most
followed by the Talladega super-speedway. popular racing series in the United
In 1961 Ford introduced the FE 390 in a States, drawing over 6 million spectators
low drag Galaxie "Starliner", but 1960 in 1997, an average live audience of over
and '61 championships were won by drivers 190,000 people for each race. The most
in 409-powered Chevy Impalas. famous event in the series is undoubtedly
Pontiac introduced their "Super Duty" 421 the Daytona 500, an annual 500-mile race
in Catalinas that made use of many at Daytona Beach, Florida. The series'
aluminum body parts to save weight, and second-biggest event is probably The
the Pontiacs easily won in 1962. Brickyard 400, an annual 400-mile race
The Golden Age held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,
The desire from fans and manufacturers the legendary home of the Indianapolis
alike for higher performance cars within 500 of the Indy Racing League, an
the restrictions of homologation meant open-wheeled racing series. NASCAR also
that car makers began producing limited runs the Busch Series, a stock car junior
production "special edition" cars based league, and the Craftsman Truck Series, a
on high production base models. It also junior league where pickup trucks are
became apparent that manufacturers were raced. Together the two car-based series
willing to produce increasingly larger (Nextel Cup and Busch Series) drew 8
engines to remain competitive (Ford had million spectators in 1997, compared to 4
developed a 483 they hoped to race). For million for both American open-wheel
the 1963 season NASCAR engines were series (CART and IRL). In 2002, 17 of the
restricted to using a maximium 20 US top sporting events in terms of
displacement of 7.0 Liters (427 cu.in.) attendance were NASCAR races. Only
and using only two valves per cylinder. football drew more television viewers
Also, even with heavy duty special that year.
editions sold to the public for Besides NASCAR, there are a number of
homologation purposes, the race car rules other national or regional stock-car
were further modified, primarily in the sanctioning bodies in the United States.
interest of safety. This is because race The Automobile Racing Club of America
drivers and their cars during this era (ARCA), American Speed Association (ASA),
were subjected to forces unheard of in International Motor Contest Association
street use, and require a far higher (IMCA), and United Speed Alliance Racing
level of protection than is normally (USAR) all sanction their own forms of
afforded by truly "stock" automobile stock-car racing, on varying types of
bodies. track, and with various levels of
In 1963 Ford sold enough of their national and media coverage. Young
aerodynamic "sport-roof" edition Galaxies drivers from these series generally
to the public so it would qualify as aspire to move to the Busch Series or
stock, and with the heavy duty FE block Craftman Truck Series in NASCAR. The
bored and stroked to the new limit of International Race of Champions (IROC)
427, the top 5 finishers were all Ford. series uses stock cars, but is usually
Chrysler had bored their 413 to create perceived as being outside of the usual
the "Max Wedge" 426, but it still stock car racing scene because of its
couldn't compete with the Fords. GM's 'All-Star' design.
headquarters had genuinely tried to Internationally, stock car racing has not
adhere to the 1957 ban, but their enjoyed the same success as within the
Chevrolet division had also constantly United States. In Canada CASCAR organizes
tried to work around it, because the three racing series (two regional and one
other manufacturers had openly national) that enjoy generally strong
circumvented the ban. In 1963 GM gave in car-counts; the base of the sport in
and openly abandoned compliance, and Canada is the short-oval region of
Chevy was allowed to produce the ZO6 427, Southern Ontario. In Europe there has
but it did not immediately enjoy success. been a persistent effort to introduce
Then, in 1964 the new Chrysler 426 Hemi stock car racing. The Stock Car Speed
engine so dominated the series in a Association ASCAR or Days of Thunder is
Plymouth Belvedere "Sport Fury", the based in Rockingham, United Kingdom,
homologation rules were changed so that though the series has raced at the
1,000 of any engine and car had to be Lausitzring in Germany as well. Brazil
sold to the public to qualify as a stock also has a successful stock car racing
part, instead of just 500. This made the series, with starting grids of 40 or more
426 Hemi unavailable for the 1965 season. cars, and three brands competing:
In 1965 Ford adapted two Chevrolet, Mitsubishi and Volkswagen.
single-overhead-cams to their FE 427 V8 Brazilian Stock Car also has two
to allow it to run at a higher RPM developing series. Argentina also have a
(called the Ford 427 Cammer). Ford popular stock series, called Turismo
started to sell "cammers" to the public Carretera. Unsuccessful efforts have been
to homologate it (mostly to made in Australia, South Africa, and
dealer-sponsored privateer drag racers), Japan as well.
but NASCAR changed the rules to specify Stock car racing is also a popular local
that all NASCAR engines must use a single event. Many tracks exist in the United
cam-in-block. But even without the States (and a few in Canada) catering to
Cammer, the Ford FE 427 won in 1965. a wide variety of car types and fans.
In 1966 Chrysler sold enough of the 426 There are a few organizations that cater
Hemi's to make it available again, and to these local short tracks, such as
they put it in their new Dodge Charger ARCA, ASA and IMCA. NASCAR also supports
which had a low-drag rear window that was local short track racing with their Elite
radically sloped. It was called a Division and NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series
"fast-back", and because of this David racing.






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