They started out that way, ran with and without wings, any engine, any tire etc, but then they the stacked the deck with the LIMITED ENGINE and many other rules in their favor.

“But, believe it or not in 1980 we had a thousand horsepower from a 560 inch big block”
“The horsepower completely overcame everything we could do but, when the Outlaws came up there the Big Blocks would definitely give them you know what, they couldn’t keep up, that’s why the rule change.” (410 Limit)
-Ron Shaver

"Well, around here it was "run what you brung" and the cheapest horsepower at that time was the big block. They weren't the easiest things in the world to drive, but they put out raw horsepower. A little guy could go down the straightaway with anybody with a big block. They ran them, well, the whole way through that period of time. The small block was still 9 out of 10. I got my first aluminum big block in '78, when we weren't going real good. We got it for $300. It was an old ZL1 all aluminum block. We put sleeves and stuff in it. In '79, we beat the Outlaws with it. Then somewhere they tried... they kept fiddling with the rules. We started "run what you brung" around here under small wings. Of course, the Outlaws came along bitched our wings were too small. Then we went to the big wings, which was probably a mistake. But, for national unity, we did it. Two years later, they said our motors were too big. Now, you couldn't have it both ways. You know what I mean? I told Ted Johnson that, you know... I said, "Look. What's good for you Outlaws isn't what's always best for us. Just remember that."
-Lynn Paxton

"Which brings us to the first year of WOO and Bentley Warren brings his dirt super mod to the WOO race at Syracuse NY, and whoops the WOO boys.
Poof---the "outlaws" ban their first vehicle, no more super mods allowed to compete in WOO races.
Pretty soon the "outlaws" were just another rule infused sanction."
-Bob Riebe

"It seems that racing always ends up with one dominate engine. I've always been a competitor, like to see different brands and different types of engines out there. My son was an apprentice and his project to be a Class A pattern maker was to make a six cylinder block out of my eight cylinder block. To make a long story short, we built a V-6, 429 inch Hemi and put it in a sprint car. The second night out at Ascot, we were the number one qualifier and the thing was very competitive. It ran good and sounded good, because it was different."
-Nick Arias Jr.

"If your gonna play with rattlesnakes, you better know what rattlesnakes do."
-Smokey Yunick