[gearguy]

This Should be a Golden Age for Midget Racing!
Every January close to three hundred midgets from around the world gather in Tulsa for the premier midget racing event of the year, the Chili Bowl. At some point during that week the conversation will turn to the high costs, low purses, lack of fan support, and low car counts experienced the rest of the year. There is no reason for this negativity to continue; with a few simple changes to the rule books our favorite form of motorized mayhem could enter another Golden Age. Ok, not as golden as the post war years when inflation adjusted purses approached $100,000 but certainly the equal of the Thursday Night Thunder years. We’ve been talking about “fixing” midget racing for over ten years; now is the time to do something.
Before you ask if I am off my meds, let me explain. Those “golden ages” were marked by plenty of races, plenty of cars, and lots of spectators. The Chili Bowl and Rumble crowds are indications that spectators will turn out for well promoted events. So will competitors; both events draw a full field of cars. The problem seems to be getting those cars out to the track the rest of the year; other than Poweri and ARDC the clubs can’t seem to draw enough cars to make the semi-feature meaningful. Some have stopped running non-points races like the trophy dash to minimize wear and tear on the cars they can get to show up. Short fields and fragile race cars won’t fill the grandstands or pay purses that attract full fields.
We did this to ourselves with short sighted rules that prevent us from using the bounty of great overhead cam four cylinder motors offered in today’s economy cars. Almost every domestic and import brand offers a compact powerplant that puts our venerated 110 Offy to shame for power and durability. Thousands of these little gems are gathering in recycling yards and more will be joining them in the years ahead. Already we have some clubs allowing Chevy Ecotecs and Hondas to compete. There are plenty of Fords, Dodges, Jeeps, Chryslers, Mazdas, Hyundais, Kias, Mitsubishis, BMW’s, Nissans, Subarus, and Toyotas ready to join them. These 2.3, 2.4, and 2.5 liter motors are already popular with the tuner crowd and are well supported with aftermarket cams, pistons, connecting rods, intakes, and exhausts.
The 2 liter limit for dual overhead cam four valve motors is obsolete and has not served our sport well. It ruined the opportunity to use the Quad 4 motor at a time the blue collar racer really needed an alternative to the increasingly fragile VW. Instead of embracing emerging technology we doubled down on aftermarket push rod motors and allowed a displacement limit which has pushed power outputs to new records and reduced the time between rebuilds to a handful of races in some cases. Imagine trying to run a race like the legendary 100 miler at Milwaukee with today’s highly stressed motors!
There is enough experience with the modern 2.4 liter OEM DOHC motors to know they can reliably make 330 to 350 horsepower with typical racing modifications and go 25 to 30 races between rebuilds. While this is not enough to beat the best of the current National motors on big tracks it will be enough for 1/4 mile bullrings. The modified OEM motors can be built for around $12,000; HALF the price of the lowest cost competitive aftermarket motor. For people interested in building their own motors at home that $12,000 number can be cut in half again. With OEM motors in the local salvage yard, a replacement cylinder block, crankshaft, or cylinder head is only days away from being on the race track.
Our existing base of engine builders can easily get involved with these motors. Look at the explosion of support the Chevy LS series V-8 is enjoying in the aftermarket. We need to embrace the future and new technology instead of pining for the good old days. There is no reason that this can’t be a new Golden Age for midgets. The cars themselves already exist. There are plenty of people who would like to race them. The rule book should not be a roadblock to letting them race.
Chuck Schultz Winfield, Illinois
Owner Car #8 Stealth-Honda in Illini Racing Series

[TQ29m]

If a guy was a good mechanic, he could probably cut that price in half, which is where I figure it would need to be, to encourage more people into midget racing, I realize there probably aren't that many good mechanics anymore, but it still isn't rocket science, and there are still lots of machine shops around to do the biggest part of what a good mechanic doesn't have the tools to do that part with, but then who would want to just go buy one ready to put fuel in anyway, not if you could save half the cost, and still be in the ball park as for as competition goes. Just a thought, glad to hear someone else that feels like it's still possible! Bob

[Kellen Conover]

I think the ecotecs make a nice little package for a regional type series, but the problem with trying to put them into the national series just isn't feasible. The EST model esslinger is around 18k, and the numbers I found after a google search said it was roughly 330hp and I have seen it be competitive in powri. If the 12-15k ecotech was 330hp stock would be one thing, but from the dyno numbers I have seen repeatedly you will end up having to spend just as much to get them in that range as you would a motor currently on the market. It would be great if it worked, but I just don't see teams effectively trading down just to save a few bucks.

[TQ29m]

I think where this whole picture gets blurry, is seems like most folks think there can only be one series, and that's National, meadow muffins, what's wrong with just plain do it yourself racing, what makes everyone think it has to be National grade, it never will fly what way, it needs to be like it was in the Golden Era, lots of junk yard parts, assembled by wanna be mechanics, that's how it started, and was some of the best racing ever, and it could be again, if folks got over the "NationaL" business, build something that costs less, and will run for a season without grenading all that big cash on the track, thats where I'm at. Is that so hard to contemplate, and don't pack it down with a lot of rules, like spec tires and all that crap, make it simple, like the TQ's are, everyone works out of the same, simple rules on engines, you have a max on CC's or cubes, and number of cams allowed, and that's the motor rules, and no non production blocks and heads, be smart, work cheap! Bob

[Kellen Conover]

Absolutely Bob, as I said, they would be great for more regional type series or like what Montpelier is doing.

[KMS2683]

Originally Posted by TQ29m I think where this whole picture gets blurry, is seems like most folks think there can only be one series, and that's National, meadow muffins, what's wrong with just plain do it yourself racing, what makes everyone think it has to be National grade, it never will fly what way, it needs to be like it was in the Golden Era, lots of junk yard parts, assembled by wanna be mechanics, that's how it started, and was some of the best racing ever, and it could be again, if folks got over the "NationaL" business, build something that costs less, and will run for a season without grenading all that big cash on the track, thats where I'm at. Is that so hard to contemplate, and don't pack it down with a lot of rules, like spec tires and all that crap, make it simple, like the TQ's are, everyone works out of the same, simple rules on engines, you have a max on CC's or cubes, and number of cams allowed, and that's the motor rules, and no non production blocks and heads, be smart, work cheap! Bob

I have been trying to tell people the same thing. Midget racing needs local/weekly and regional racing options to grow. In doing so you do not need a 380 hp $30000 motor. If you look at sprints or even late models they have local racing options as well as regional. The local sprint guys may only have $15,000 tied in their entire car and motor. They are not worried about competing nationally or even traveling which further reduces their costs.

I think if more local racing options become available for midget racing the motor issue would take care of itself.

[mc/rider]

In the golden age you had less tire width.Less tire width,less engine tech,less $=more cars.I would extend that theory to all other classes of our great sport

[johnnythunderhead]

how bout these rules: build what ya can n run what cha brung