[Need For Speed]

Originally Posted by Honest-Sam Low car counts on asphalt don't appear to be a new trend. Check out these results from Winchester from 1980(358ci motors) and 1981(410ci motors) 1980 - http://www.openwheeltimes.com/owt_results.asp?ID=91907 1980 - http://www.openwheeltimes.com/owt_results.asp?ID=91996 1981 - http://www.openwheeltimes.com/owt_results.asp?ID=90223 I wasn't racing yet in 1980(I was 12), so I don't know from personal experience what "kind" of cars these were or how many cars USAC started back then. Also not sure how wide the tires were or what the tire rules were.

One way to actually see what 'kind' of cars they were running, would be to get ahold of a Sprint Car Pictorial from those years. Another way to 'see', is by clicking this link: http://www.retrorockets.org/1/Volume31.htm

I don't know when USAC banned the roadsters, but at one time Steve Chassey, Marvin Carman, Jeff Bloom, and Sheldon Kinser were driving them...and maybe a few others.

Some of the teams/owners had pavement only cars, but I'm thinking that most were 'double duty' cars back then however. (mid to late 70's)

Then for a while, pavement racing was all but dead...seems like the early 80's/mid 80's was the start of that down turn in car counts.