Smaller Wings

7/29/12, 8:20 AM

I believe there would be even more winged car fans if the size of the wings didnt get out of hand. The first plywood wings were very small and centered over the car. There were no front wings. It helped the car but didnt push it to the track with tons of downforce. Also the car looked more traditional compared to the cars now, most fans would prefer to see into the car and actually see a driver. The engine and tire costs wouldnt be as huge as with todays hogsheds. Them cars i wouldnt bash like I do the winged cars of today, heck I'd even go watch. On the Eldora broadcast last night the announcer hit it right on the head when he said the guys were trying to keep they're cars as straight as possible, I personally see no drama, no wheelies, no guys really backin in those biotches. To me not a product I can watch or support. I am honestly amazed when someone can watch a race with maybe one or two slide jobs, 9 times out of ten a straight line freight train to the finish and say they saw a good race.

Anyhow thats what went wrong, the wings got way to big, way too adjustable . This isnt whining on a nonwing site, this is just stating the facts as alot of nonwing guys live by. Have a blast in whatever you race.

somebodysmam · 7/29/12, 10:04 AM

sprint car wings have always 25 square feet and mini sprint wing 16 square feet.
side panels may have changed but the wing had to measure 25 and 16 square feet.panels and body added together.

darnall · 7/29/12, 3:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by somebodysmam

sprint car wings have always 25 square feet and mini sprint wing 16 square feet.
side panels may have changed but the wing had to measure 25 and 16 square feet.panels and body added together.

Sprint car wings have only been 25 sq ft since the WOO mandated 25 sq.... Wolfgang had a wing at one point that was over 36 sq... but when wings first started showing up regularly they ranged in size from 12 sq to dang near 40 sq...

The very first upright 1200cc mini I ever saw had a wing that was barely 12 sq...probably more like 10...this was somewhere around 1983...

Wings went from reasonable in size to extremely huge and everything in between until the powers that be standardized them...

I raced winged 305 sprints for a few seasons...when I started 16 sq was the biggest allowed, then guys got complaining about how much the small wings cost and they could buy used 25sq wings for 100 bucks so they started allowing bigger wings...more crankshafts got broken and motors blown up in that season than the 5 seasons before combined....and the racing got worse..

somebodysmam · 7/29/12, 6:06 PM

You are correct about the size being standardized . I was thinking that the poster was saying that wing were different sizes now.My husband and friend was T/P Wings from the late 70's til they sold everything in 2000 and retired. They made wings for most of the WOO and the IN mini sprints.We owned sprint cars and mini sprints so we stayed up to date on rules on the wings.

racephoto1 · 7/29/12, 7:17 PM

For a looooong time the PA POSSE ran 16 ft wings. Then the 600 pound gorilla called WoO mandated 25 ft wings and it all went to that.

I wish Mustsee would go to 16 ft wings, those guys are going way to fast. Wait until someone has a right front failure at Winchester, tire or mechanical, you'll see what too fast is.

Chubs Peterson · 7/29/12, 7:20 PM

I like everything, non wings, wings, late models but I would agree that I would like to see the the winged cars reduce the wing size and take away some of the downforce. For what it is worth took a friend to his first race last night and while first liking the winged cars more left amazed at the racing that went on with the non wingers last night at Eldora. While there are those for and against wings, it is hard to argue with how competitive non wing racing is. Anyone watching Robert Ballou last night had to leave a non wing sprint car fan.

Sawdust101 · 7/29/12, 10:08 PM

Here are 2 photos I took from 1979 at the Springfield Mile.

captrat · 7/29/12, 10:30 PM

If you wanted to see what is right and what is wrong with sprint car racing competition Eldora last night was a great example. Non-wing races ultra-competitive, exciting, passing,etc. Winged cars looked like Winchester with a dirt overlay, straight corner lines, very litttle passing. The greatest crime is that the hype machine of WoO and its media partners present themselves as the most competitive and top echelon of sprint car racing. Sort of like a disinformation propaganda brainwashing campaign!

hoosierdaddy · 7/29/12, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by captrat

If you wanted to see what is right and what is wrong with sprint car racing competition Eldora last night was a great example. Non-wing races ultra-competitive, exciting, passing,etc. Winged cars looked like Winchester with a dirt overlay, straight corner lines, very litttle passing. The greatest crime is that the hype machine of WoO and its media partners present themselves as the most competitive and top echelon of sprint car racing. Sort of like a disinformation propaganda brainwashing campaign!

I'm not arguing your statement at all because I love watching non-wing cars...but, here is another difference of wing and non-wing at Eldora. Last night Justin Grant, quick time @ 15.508. 2 weeks ago, Craig Dollansky quick time @ 13.338. That 2.17 seconds! Lots of passing and racing at the Kings Royal! At least the WoO race for good amounts of money unlike the USAC circuit. USUCK only pays out enough...OCCASIONALLY

7/30/12, 6:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by somebodysmam

sprint car wings have always 25 square feet and mini sprint wing 16 square feet.
side panels may have changed but the wing had to measure 25 and 16 square feet.panels and body added together.

No they started very small, with hardly any side bills. The good part of being old, seen it all. I remember the first one I ever saw was at Flemington, it was prob. about 3x3. Made of marine plywood. I knew right off the bat I didnt like em. If you left it up to the racers they'd have side panels 6 ft. high and going all the way to the ground on a 40 ft. wing. Thats where the promotors need to adress it. At least you guys have the choice of what to watch, lose all your nonwing racing and you'll know why I'm a bit bitter when it comes to wings.

7/29/12, 8:20 AM	#1 Smaller Wings
backitin Posts: n/a	I believe there would be even more winged car fans if the size of the wings didnt get out of hand. The first plywood wings were very small and centered over the car. There were no front wings. It helped the car but didnt push it to the track with tons of downforce. Also the car looked more traditional compared to the cars now, most fans would prefer to see into the car and actually see a driver. The engine and tire costs wouldnt be as huge as with todays hogsheds. Them cars i wouldnt bash like I do the winged cars of today, heck I'd even go watch. On the Eldora broadcast last night the announcer hit it right on the head when he said the guys were trying to keep they're cars as straight as possible, I personally see no drama, no wheelies, no guys really backin in those biotches. To me not a product I can watch or support. I am honestly amazed when someone can watch a race with maybe one or two slide jobs, 9 times out of ten a straight line freight train to the finish and say they saw a good race. Anyhow thats what went wrong, the wings got way to big, way too adjustable . This isnt whining on a nonwing site, this is just stating the facts as alot of nonwing guys live by. Have a blast in whatever you race.

7/29/12, 10:04 AM	#2 Re: Smaller Wings
somebodysmam Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 203	sprint car wings have always 25 square feet and mini sprint wing 16 square feet. side panels may have changed but the wing had to measure 25 and 16 square feet.panels and body added together.

7/29/12, 6:06 PM	#4 Re: Smaller Wings
somebodysmam Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 203	You are correct about the size being standardized . I was thinking that the poster was saying that wing were different sizes now.My husband and friend was T/P Wings from the late 70's til they sold everything in 2000 and retired. They made wings for most of the WOO and the IN mini sprints.We owned sprint cars and mini sprints so we stayed up to date on rules on the wings.

7/29/12, 7:17 PM	#5 Re: Smaller Wings
racephoto1 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 4,253	For a looooong time the PA POSSE ran 16 ft wings. Then the 600 pound gorilla called WoO mandated 25 ft wings and it all went to that. I wish Mustsee would go to 16 ft wings, those guys are going way to fast. Wait until someone has a right front failure at Winchester, tire or mechanical, you'll see what too fast is.