So, I know that I am in the vast minority who think that the attempt at the new Silver Crown car was actually a good decision by USAC. I think it was a risk that had to be tried. Without turning this post into an ancient history lesson of why it did not work out or how many people think that this killed the class. Let's assume it had succeeded like USAC had predicted.
If there was a healthy USAC Silver Crown class that raced regularly on the Mile paved tracks. Would that class be the feeder class to the Indy Cars that Cheever and Goodyear was talking about. The drivers would constantly be racing pavement tracks. The drivers would constantly be on larger mile tracks. The drivers would constantly be at high speeds. So...assuming that this class would have been a success would it have helped get drivers to Indy?
The way to Indy cars would have been only successful if the Engine would have been in the rear and a low cost standard frame made by one Mfg and could not change any thing on that chassis as far a mounts ect. Also the solid rear end and front axle. So this was a affordable concept. Make your own fiberglass or Alum. No wings.
If Bill France Jr. had not passed away and Joie Chitwood did not move from IMS to Daytona the series would still be here. There were 23 cars at the last Phoenix race. As soon as USAC could field 30 cars Joie was going to put the series somewhere in the 500 run up. Big ifs and probably a big gamble, but it could have worked.
The intent was to feed Nascar not Indycar. It was a change to pavement cars and you and USAC expect the dirt fans to follow a totally different car to pavement was a bad idea from the start. You wanted to kill what we enjoy so a few drivers could "move up" to Euro style racing...I'm glad it didn't happen.
The intent was to have a destination series where a USAC driver could make a living racing. If I remember right the purses were around $100K. There were no changes for the dirt. Remember also there were no more paved mile tracks in business and the old pavement cars could not run on the mile and a half's. You're way off if you think a series or any series revolved around sending one or two drivers south every 5 years. As far as a pipeline to the 500, forget it, those days are over. Even if a deserving guy like BC gets a ride, it's only one off and a third tier team. Money is everything at the 500, skill, not so much.
IMO, the road to Indy was rerouted in the mid to late 70's. You saw fewer and fewer short track drivers advance to the Championship Trail in the 70's until by the late 70's it was pretty much done. Duane "Pancho's" Carter is the last USAC Sprint Car champion that I can think of to advance to the Indy Cars and have a full season ride.
Again, IMO the "new" Silver Crown cars were an attempt to provide a transition car to enable a driver to more easily adapt from the short tracks to the bigger stock car tracks and their speed. The idea and design was driven by the stock car world, not the IRL or Indycar.
Short tracks teach a driver to be aggressive and how to drive a loose race car, two things that are pretty undesirable in today's "fuel conservation" neutral setup Indy cars. Like it or not (and I don't!) I don't believe you will ever see short track drivers as regular participants at Indianapolis.
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Jeff Gordon win nascar races before they even came up with, imo, what was and is the biggest mistake usac silver crown cars ever made. It was concocted as a collaboration with nascar as I recall, not indy car. If my memory is correct, Gordon proves, among others that it wasn't needed. Not to get too far off track, (no pun intended) imo, things got derailed when they let them have separate cars for dirt and pavement. I was lucky enough as a kid to watch teams change bars, shocks, maybe switch a Jacobs ladder to a Panhard bar and race Sante Fe Friday night, and Illiana Saturday night with the same car. Racing was every bit as good that way as it has been with specialized cars. And you know what, when a driver graduated to a higher level, nascar or Indy car he was competitive, not exceptional!
Originally Posted by openwheelfan1:
IMO, the road to Indy was rerouted in the mid to late 70's. You saw fewer and fewer short track drivers advance to the Championship Trail in the 70's until by the late 70's it was pretty much done. Duane "Pancho's" Carter is the last USAC Sprint Car champion that I can think of to advance to the Indy Cars and have a full season ride.
Again, IMO the "new" Silver Crown cars were an attempt to provide a transition car to enable a driver to more easily adapt from the short tracks to the bigger stock car tracks and their speed. The idea and design was driven by the stock car world, not the IRL or Indycar.
Short tracks teach a driver to be aggressive and how to drive a loose race car, two things that are pretty undesirable in today's "fuel conservation" neutral setup Indy cars. Like it or not (and I don't!) I don't believe you will ever see short track drivers as regular participants at Indianapolis.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe Tony Stewart would have been the last usac sprint car champion to have a full time Indy ride.
