I started working on USAC sprint cars in 1963, working for Henry Meyer on the Iddings #93. Also worked around Paul Leffler on the Dunseth cars. Lost interest in 1970 when they converted all of the real sprint cars into supermodifieds by requiring roll cages..... Came back to USAC in the late 70s to work for Leffler and Wally Meskowski on the '78 and '79 USAC Sprint Championship winning Armstrong Mould team.
The 60s were the real thing. We raced on only real tracks, half miles like Winchester, Dayton, Salem, New Bremen, Eldora,
Terra Haute, Ascot, Reading, etc...... not the little quarter mile midget tracks that they run now.
The 60s had real car builders and owners and paid drivers rather than mommies and daddies buying prefab kit specracer cars and setups, from the beast store, for their little 15 year old children, in their cute little thousand dollar designer driver suits and helmets.
Frankly, I don't see any potential A.Js, Parnellis, Hurtubises, Jud Larsons, Rutherfords, Greg Welds, Bransons, or Dicksons among the bunch of hacking, slashing, chopping, slide job artist, "roll cage fearless" kiddies of today.
Real sprint car racing was over by 1970 and, even the supermodified version of sprint car racing was, purty much, over by the early 80s