My dad and I are part of a club and yes, it is fun to run a sprintcar or champ car at any speed but we are tired of running at exhibition speed. Is anyone interested in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, etc. area in setting up a new club for nostalgia cars that do what they were meant to...GO FAST! Everyone enjoys watching old cars but if i know alot of the race fans they want to see them used like they were meant to. Maybe not so much racing, but maybe hot lapping them. We have a 1980's Stepp sprintcar that is the brother of Sheldon Kinzer's car that he totalled with a 700+ horsepower motor and a 2003 Lawson Silver Crown car driven by Nelson Stewart and Johnny Heydenreich with a 750+ horsepower motor. I know we aren't the only two who really enjoy to let them eat!!! Send me a message if you're interested.-Greg

Years ago we were going to a race & our friend had just gotten back from a nostalgia race. He showed us a video of an older car driving fast like you say & he wheel hopped another car. The car flew in the air rotating & landed on one of the front corners of the cage - it collapsed. The driver was killed and the car was demolished. Try racing w/ a local sprint club if you want you may even get tow money or start money. At least you can get some laps in. Look at those 2 old modifieds racing w/ that steel block series, they had a ball doing it.

i have run 2 vintage events like you are talking about,and they are fun to do,its more dangerous to take part in actual racing but running hot laps are good,and usually people use their heads

Insurance issues come to mind in a hurry. I do know that some race tracks worry about how fast and close the drivers get in the old cars, especially cageless open wheel cars. If the insurance bill is too prohibitive for vintage cars, then the trend will be for display only. Some like doing only that, and yet a few want to crank several thousand rpms , running sideways. It's all good mind you, but if vintage cars get a bad reputation for insurance liabilities, then the writing is on the wall. Promotors watch each other, and even meet each other throughout the year- and they do relate their experiences. Just like you, they make their choices based on their mindset.



Down here, most of the guys running vintage cars will not even show up if there is a referance to racing. "Hot laps", become racing if drivers don't use their heads- but in most cases I've seen that isn't a problem.

I know you didn't say you wanted to race, but if you look around, you'll find it is hard to get several old cars to run 'hard'. The terms "race", and "hot laps" are divided by a very thin line.

finding cars to run isnt much of a problem,knoxville,ia had 90+ cars on the grounds last year,and about 70 this year,some people wont even leave the house if its a display only deal,they want to run and not only exhibition speed

I do agree with what you guys have said there is a insurance liability and it is much more risky...there is always the possibility of someone crashing and get hurt, or even worse killed. that will always be a risk, but if the club is running separate classes such as midgets as one class, big cars as another, and sprint cars/ silver crown as another it could be much safer. Cars without cages must be strictly prohibited because, let's face it, they are very cool, yet VERY unsafe nowadays. Maybe going even as far doing checks to make sure every car's belts are in tact and will not fail in a crash and doing the same with driver's suits and helmets. Y'all keep throwing me ideas...I think we all have given good thoughts.

Yes, but I do know for a fact the Roger Schuur accident in 2006 scared away quite a few cars. Eyewitnesses claim he was talking as if it was a race and he "going to the front". One hour later that all changed.

Knoxville has the rare "pull/draw" few other tracks these days enjoy. 90 cars could have easily been 200 today. Knoxville is "mecca" level.

200 cars at Knoxville would make a larger statement countrywide, and spur even more cars out of the woodworks. The movement is growing anyway, and someone is going to get hurt even if they all stay home. We here in the southern plains states will get larger if the torch is brighter up north.

We like fast too, we all do. But 50+ year old men have a lot more important people to answer to come the end of the day than at 21.

All of it, display, exhibition, hot laps--it is all good , and each are vital for the growth of the other.

Like down here, I display my Dad's old coupe, and drive a super.

---------- Post added at 05:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:08 PM ----------

Cageless cars.......... I like them............but...........I did 5 shows, and had a LOT of input from the cageless guys---yet only 2 cars showed up-display only. Can't build a class when the loudest , most demanding group doesn't even truly support the show.

But, never totally count them out. You may be needing those cars someday when the younger guys own them.

Cardinal rule number 1- Midgets like to run with midgets. Cageless like cageless, but a similar sized car with a cage and moron free in the cockpit, is okay too. NEVER RUN CAGELESS MIDGETS WITH BIG CAGED CARS. That is a dealkiller.

---------- Post added at 05:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:08 PM ----------

Get to Belleville July 31st, somewhere in that could be an answer.

this past saturday,i was up in michigan and ran duel 10 laps of of hotlaps and was joined by 4 supermodifieds,a sprintcar and a couple other midgets on track with all of them and were running quick laps,
knoxvilles vintage event does split up all the different cars,and if there is more then 8 then they will divide the classes,but thats how that club does their activities.
check out the Mississippi Valley Vintage Race Car Association website

this past saturday,i was up in michigan and ran duel 10 laps of of hotlaps and was joined by 4 supermodifieds,a sprintcar and a couple other midgets on track with all of them and were running quick laps,
knoxvilles vintage event does split up all the different cars,and if there is more then 8 then they will divide the classes,but thats how that club does their activities.
check out the Mississippi Valley Vintage Race Car Association website

I run vintage cars on big tracks at lap speeds of around 100 MPH. Some of the faster cars I run with are running around 120 MPH lap speeds. We have no problems.

The problems happen with these little short track clubs when "brave" wannabe racers show up with old cage sprint cars and midgets with cartoon size balloon tires and show no respect to the real vintage cars and drivers. Nothing makes me more nervous than being on a short track with some 20 year old kid in a cage sprint car.

I agree with "Bad Dad"...... If you want to race, go race. If you want to run vintage cars get yourself a real vintage car(pre 1970, no roll cage, narrow tires).
If you want to go fast in a vintage car, come on out to the Phoenix Mile, California Speedway, Darlington Speedway and the Milwaukee Mile!

"Cars without cages must be strictly prohibited"
HA! HardyBoy, you must be joking. What a stupid statement.

Good Luck with your new club!
mac miller in INDY

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