Proper Name Of A Sprint Car
 

A Sprint Car does not have a wing. A Sprint Car with a wing is a Winged Sprint Car.

To call a Sprint Car a Non-Winged Sprint Car is the same duplicative and redundant word as irregardless. Check your dictionary, irregardless is not a word. Even when you type it in here on IOW, you get red squiggles under it!

If you feel further differentiation is necessary, you might consider Traditional Sprint Car versus Winged Sprint Car.

I like Winged Sprint Cars just as much as Sprint Cars. I just believe they should be properly referred to.

Re: Proper Name Of A Sprint Car
 

The worst was a writer who called them "unwinged sprint cars".

Real Sprint Cars Have No Wings
Period!
Best Regards,
John

The most recognizable part of a sprint car is the wing. Calling it a winged sprint car is kind of redundant.

Re: Proper Name Of A Sprint Car
 

Two things happened in 1978 that changed the world of sprint car racing and the most popular form of it.

1. USAC had a devastating plane crash that took the lives of many top leaders and officials.
2. Ted Johnson started the World of Outlaws and the "Run Whaca Brung".

USAC and traditional, non-wing, whatever you want to call it, has never recovered from the plane crash.

The World of Outlaws kept growing and because of that winged sprint cars are by far the most popular form of sprint car racing. They just had a weekend that paid out over 2 million dollars for the four days and also broke an attendance record for Eldora Speedway.

Before 1978 we could call them sprint cars and winged sprint cars. Today they are sprint cars and non-wing sprints cars.

Re: Proper Name Of A Sprint Car
 

There is an analogy in the freight car business.

Until the introduction of roller bearings, I believe in the late 30's or early 40's, freight car axles were supported by bronze journal bearings.

The roller bearing manufacturers were successful in referring to their competition as a friction bearing and the name stuck. Over time it became bearings and friction bearings.

I believe the same thing has happened here.

Re: Proper Name Of A Sprint Car
 

:44: :44: :44:

Re: Proper Name Of A Sprint Car
 

:15:

:deadhorse:

Re: Proper Name Of A Sprint Car
 

"Back in the day" weren't they called like B cars and maybe the "Indy-type" cars were A-cars or smthn? I know they (the Indy type cars) were called Big Cars. Possibly until there was a split of the Indy 500 type cars to the "half-mile" cars? I swear I read this in maybe the Bettenhausen book (it was like a history of racing); but I don't have the book anymore.

Re: Proper Name Of A Sprint Car
 

Take a look at the schedules for the tracks right here in Indiana that run them regularly. Indiana is the stronghold of a niche fan base, and even here, the tracks generally refer to them as non-wing sprint cars. I’m not upset by the pronoun you choose.