My recollection on Champ cars is that they, like their distant cousins (Indy cars), used remote starters, but had clutches. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that they’ve done away with that convention.
Originally Posted by Pitdad:
My recollection on Champ cars is that they, like their distant cousins (Indy cars), used remote starters, but had clutches. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that they’ve done away with that convention.
The cars still have to have clutches in them per the rule book. During qualifying the car must move on its own after starting or you are penalized for push starting, ( I believe 12 spots) so if your quick time you start 12th. At start of the feature car must self start and move, if it stalls after moving can be pushed started so you don’t have to plug starter back in. If push started must go to the back of field.
Now that being said USAC and Track can change this process for weather or track rules, and speed up the program. Last night they pitted cars off back straightaway so dragging starters to front straightaway to start them would take forever especially if rain coming. I’m not sure as I wasn’t there but it looked like possibly cars were started during qualifying, I didn’t see push trucks being used, but I wasn’t there in person.
Eldora does not allow us to use starters always push started in pits. About half the time on half miles they have pushed started cars for one reason or another. We have talked about taking clutches out of cars at rules meetings, they are getting difficult to find parts for the Tilton set up. But as it’s been brought up then they are just big sprint cars and loose some of the tradition of Champ cars.
The gear required for the bigger tracks would make it very hard on the clutch to get the car going. Kinda like trying to take off in 3rd gear in your regular car
