Originally Posted by SC90:
Dad,
I'm not sure if you are trying to be funny, or serious.
The last thing the Silver Crown division needs at this time are more changes. The true afficianados of the sport love the division because of its tradition. This is the series that dates back to the 60's with AJ Foyt and Mario Andretti. This is the series that became a springboard for many drivers in NASCAR. This is the series that is the ultimate test of drivers -- a Silver Crown race won't be won by a driver who is only "balls to the wall" and doesn't use their head and manage their tires. It won't be won by the pit crew. When I watch NASCAR and IndyCar, I always wonder if the race is won by the team with the fastest driver or the fastest pit crew. The fastest car on the track often doesn't win because of a slow pit stop. Sure, there has to be great preparation back at the garage, but once the team pushes off the car, it's the driver who is in control of the outcome of the race. This isn't a series that is based on engineering -- which team has the most money and talent for technological engineering. Formula One already covers that quite well.
Driving a Silver Crown car isn't easy -- it isn't meant to be, and we don't want it to be easy. We don't want to watch a race where the car is more important than the driver. This series takes us back to an era when the driver was the commander of the cockpit -- not the $$ spent, not the technological excellence, and not the speed of the crew during pit stops. I'm glad we have safety innovations like roll cages and helmets now, but bring back the old roadsters of the 60's and the drivers who knew what it take to tame one of those beasts (no pun intended).
Sharon
Silver Crown #90
Sharon
I'm serious. I kinda of liked them old Foyt 4 cam motors with the oil cooler hanging off of the roll bar, those were the days. Silver Crown or Champ cars are history they always will be. Any driver that can start off with a 700 pound fuel load hanging behind the rear axil and finish a race just about out of fuel and very very loose is one hell of a driver.
The cars are beautiful and most of them are owned and raced by people with a great deal of experience with race cars. You guys also don't do the weekly or twice weekly racing that you may have done in the past.
If the purse requires that you race with Ethanol for the big pay out why not do something to the car that will make it possible. I'm guessing about $4,500.00 would convert the engine over to an electronic management system and one large portion of your upkeep would be eliminated and you would have a much improved race car. Heck you can still use your old injector bodies, just machine them for the electronic injectors and throw all them hoses and valves and linckage away.
Do not make it a requirement just make it an option. It won't change how your race car looks but it will change how it works with ethanol.
I think maybe USAC experiments with you guys because you are the true jurneymen racers in the outfit and if anybody can make it work you can. Back in the 50's I raced 1/4 midgets with ET Morse's son and at that time ET owned 21 brands distillers in Frankfort Ky. He ran his USAC sprint on Pre tax stamp whiskey way back then, so it can be done, electronics would just make it a lot more simple.
Honest Dad himself