Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

Single engine builder? Some of us build our own. Cheaper than buying engines.
That would be a deal breaker for me.

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

Yes , I'm still in Amarillo. Heading to Tulsa tomorrow for the Chile Bowl.

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

Interesting post Dick. I would like for you and others to elaborate further.

How do you think something like pre 1975 vehicles that originally came with V-8 engines (to keep the Vega/Pinto etc out), 3200 lbs, 10.5 inch tire max, 350/385 hp 'Fast Burn' and body & chassis rules same as stock eliminator would work? Maybe even a certain weight bias front to rear to help keep exotic (ie costly) parts and labor out of the picture.

Maybe use a engine claimer to help keep costs down?

I think the ASA oval track series did something like this with good results a few years ago, with a claimer rule.

Might give some here a topic to help pass the winter blues.

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

I don't see a thing wrong with the C/SM rules used in 1979.

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

Ed, what were some more of the rules back then? And, perhaps more importantly, what kinds of changes in equipment and technology over the last 30 years would impact the class today? What do you think could be done to prevent the cost from getting out of control?

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

Here it is again, as I remember them:

C/SM was allowed canted valves one year. Fadley won C/SM at Indy that year but was bounced due to a displacement error. His crank was not what he ordered and he failed to measure it. Something like one cubic inch big at tear down. Voglen should have won. Fadley took him out early. I was dead late in the class semis, and an eleven second car ended up winner when Fadley was tossed. Rick Voglin was robbed. Next year C/SM was inline valves only. Seemed like C/SM had like 30 or so cars at Indy that year?

IHRA had Super Mod as a heads up eliminator at 10 lbs. Looser head rules, 11.5" tires and 850 carbs instead of NHRA's 750 cfm, 10.5" tire rules. Any GM head castings allowed. Rickey Smith pretty much ruled there.

NHRA allowed certain number 750 cfm carbs, pretty much same as SS rules there, but the choke butterfly & shaft could be removed.

Cylinder heads had to be assembly line available castings, no "Bowtie", "Turbo", etc. Porting allowed was chambers, and 1" below the bottom of the valve seats in the bowls, and 1/2" back from the intake flange for port matching. Any valve size.
There was a difference in heads. I had four sets from big name shops doing Modified heads. Won't name them all, but Lee Shepherd's were nearly a tenth quicker than anybody else's. They showed much better on my flow bench too. Shows how criticle the valve job & seat/bowl area

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

IHRA allowed Fab intakes, any tire (Rickey ran 14/32) 5 speeds

Turbo were allowed? FJ could answer Bow Ties were not made till 1983? Valve stems had to remain stock diameter

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

This is a great discussion. I helped my dad build the first Super Modified Maverick. The first year there was just the one class (A/SM), 3 cars showed up at Pomona, Vogelin & Maherson won class. Jimmy Stevens was the first Super Mod to win Modified Eliminator, he did it at the 1975 High Desert Spring Regionals at LA County Raceway. We tried to build that car cheap and it was competitive on a budget the first year. The Boss motor had a definite advantage, then the Chevrolet contigent convinced NHRA to split, so B/SM became the Boss Class.

I remember Arlen Fadely calling dad at least a dozen times when he was building his car, he would pick dads brain for hours. We had not really heard of Arlen out west. He would call our house like clockwork, I remember answereing the phone "Jim Stevens Racing", because I knew it would be him. Of course he was calling our house and dad did all his work in our attached 2 car garage!

Arlen built a real fast car, as guys like him and Don Bowles started builing these "high dollar" cars, the class became more expensive. Ultimately, Tires & Valve Springs were good for one race. Had to get a Doug Nash over the toploader.

Dad really relished the opportunity to run heads-up in the IHRA. If I remember correctly, the single carb was 1150. Dad took his NHRA legal car with a borrowed carb down to Amarillo and runner-upped to Ricky, Jack Roush et al. He could not fit as big a tire as in Fowlers' car, but was competitive enough for dad to take a month off and head east to go head to head with Jack & Tricky Ricky the summer of 76.

We borrowed an enclosed trailer and hit the road. Our hopes were dashed within an hour, as a semi-truck & strong cross wind jack-knifed us and destroyed the car just outside Rosamond CA.

The car was not back at the track until the Fallnationals, and went a couple rounds. In 1977 he really got that car hauling again. Ran good enough to win the 77 Cajun Nationals, but in the rain delayed 2 AM final, turned on the red light against the late great Lee Shepard, who happened to have a broken rear-end in the Modified Production Camaro he was driving during his Pro Stock hiatus. I remember Lee had a crash and did not want to get back in that Pro stocker.

Dad was on his way to the Division 7 Championship, the car was flying. As I remember most of the divisionals were running eliminations at night, and when they did that car was tough to beat. A trip to INDY that year resulted in a class elimination loss to Arlen who went on to win the Eliminator. We could not make that thing run in the heat & humidity, but Arlen could. We were dry icing the manifold and had a cool-can as an air-cooler, aside from being on the fringe of the rules, it did not really work!

At any rate, by then the class was already too expensive, it is just too hard regulate these classes. The little things, like the valve spring life and track rentals for testing drove the cost up. We were lucky enough to have a silent sponsor for 77-79, and dad held & reset the SM record more than anybody else from 75-81.

Mike Edwards, Ron Anderson & Jim Ehlen all put together some good running Fords. They were good friends and stayed with us when they came out west. Dad won the 80 Winternationals and retired from drag racing after blowing an engine at the 81 Mile High Nationals. Modified was dead and the Super Modifieds were soon to be "re-defined".

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

IHRA allowed 11.5" tires when I ran with them, Rickey Smith included. I raced him a couple of times. I could barely stay on his bumper. Fast car.
"Turbo" heads were allowed in IHRA on SBCs too. Don't remember seeing fabricated manifolds, I don't remember 5 speeds being allowed. In NHRA you could not make any outside mods to the cast aluninium intakes.

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

SOME GUY's can really stretch the truth or thier memory just changes with time could be the west coast air?
Again I help Fadely build his car, it was really Ed Bennett myself and LeRoy Hinzmann (Fadelys long tim Partner) they had built 4 other Ford's at that point , a Boss 429 for C/S, a 69 Boss 302 for F/S which was a Ford dollar car which Ford converted to a 1970 Boss at Kar Kraft. This car was converted to AHRA) and later IHRA) They also built a 71 Maverick for Ed Bennett for GT!along with the Boss 429 to GT1 and ran untill 1972. In 1972 we built he first Don Hardy Ford Pinto for C/A it was a 2x3 retangle frame car so it could also run the Gas classes. It won a Div # points Meet and runner up also was 2nd in points in Comp in Div 3 in 1974. In October of 74 he ordered the body in white. Fadely and Hardy came up with the design and the Day after Christmas of 1974 we went to Floydada Tx (Hardy's shop) to get the car. So the car was built before the Winter Nationals of 1975 we Don and Sue Hardy, Arlen and I fly from Hardys shop in Texas to those Winter National to watch and the reason we were at Hardy's was him and i had taken Sue a new linclon Mark down there that Fadely had bought Hardy on A plan, with Fadely calling your dad every night as you say that is not True!
The first NHRA Natioal Event ever one by a Super Modified WAS the 1977 US Nationals. As I remember you guys came to Gainsville in 1978 in GOOD air and still couldn't run with him his 1st round 10.18 was about .15 faster that any other S/M at that event. Also as I remember you guys ran some Div 3 meets in 78 and hung with Wayne County boys. Lets get the FACT's straight here. I have talked to Arlen and he told me it was ok to Post his phone # 734 782 3209 and e-mail affadely@mindspring.com so any one can contact him.





]This is a great discussion. I helped my dad build the first Super Modified Maverick. The first year there was just the one class (A/SM), 3 cars

showed up at Pomona, Vogelin & Maherson won class. Jimmy Stevens was the first Super Mod to win Modified Eliminator, he did it at the 1975 High Desert Spring Regionals at LA County Raceway. We tried to build that car cheap and it was competitive on a budget the first year. The Boss motor had a definite advantage, then the Chevrolet contigent convinced NHRA to split, so B/SM became the Boss Class.

I remember Arlen Fadely calling dad at least a dozen times when he was building his car, he would pick dads brain for hours. We had not really heard of Arlen out west. He would call our house like clockwork, I remember answereing the phone "Jim Stevens Racing", because I knew it would be him. Of course he was calling our house and dad did all his work in our attached 2 car garage!

Arlen built a real fast car, as guys like him and Don Bowles started builing these "high dollar" cars, the class became more expensive. Ultimately, Tires & Valve Springs were good for one race. Had to get a Doug Nash over the toploader.

Dad really relished the opportunity to run heads-up in the IHRA. If I remember correctly, the single carb was 1150. Dad took his NHRA legal car with a borrowed carb down to Amarillo and runner-upped to Ricky, Jack Roush et al. He could not fit as big a tire as in Fowlers' car, but was competitive enough for dad to take a month off and head east to go head to head with Jack & Tricky Ricky the summer of 76.

We borrowed an enclosed trailer and hit the road. Our hopes were dashed within an hour, as a semi-truck & strong cross wind jack-knifed us and destroyed the car just outside Rosamond CA.

The car was not back at the track until the Fallnationals, and went a couple rounds. In 1977 he really got that car hauling again. Ran good enough to win the 77 Cajun Nationals, but in the rain delayed 2 AM final, turned on the red light against the late great Lee Shepard, who happened to have a broken rear-end in the Modified Production Camaro he was driving during his Pro Stock hiatus. I remember Lee had a crash and did not want to get back in that Pro stocker.

Dad was on his way to the Division 7 Championship, the car was flying. As I remember most of the divisionals were running eliminations at night, and when they did that car was tough to beat. A trip to INDY that year resulted in a class elimination loss to Arlen who went on to win the Eliminator. We could not make that thing run in the heat & humidity, but Arlen could. We were dry icing the manifold and had a cool-can as an air-cooler, aside from being on the fringe of the rules, it did not really work!

At any rate, by then the class was already too expensive, it is just too hard regulate these classes. The little things, like the valve spring life and track rentals for testing drove the cost up. We were lucky enough to have a silent sponsor for 77-79, and dad held & reset the SM record more than anybody else from 75-81.

Mike Edwards, Ron Anderson & Jim Ehlen all put together some good running Fords. They were good friends and stayed with us when they came out west. Dad won the 80 Winternationals and retired from drag racing after blowing an engine at the 81 Mile High Nationals. Modified was dead and the Super Modifieds were soon to be "re-defined".[/QUOTE]

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

How did you win this race ? when turned on the red light against the late great Lee Shepard,

Ran good enough to win the 77 Cajun Nationals, but in the rain delayed 2 AM final, turned on the red light against the late great Lee Shepard, who happened to have a broken rear-end in the Modified Production Camaro he was driving during his Pro Stock hiatus

Arlen built a real fast car, as guys like him and Don Bowles started builing these "high dollar" cars,

Boy are you off on this one High $$
Fadely' Body in white was $477.00 form Walt hickey Ford in southgate MI neat thing about Body in white deal was Ford paid shipping and it was shipped from assembly plant which was Kanasas City which was closer to Floydada TX than Flat Rock.
Hardy's bill was just under $1,800.00 for his work.
Fadely bought a wereck Maverick for parts from Jack Roush who had a contact at Rube's Auto Parts in Livonia.


The Boss motor had a definite advantage, then the Chevrolet contigent convinced NHRA to split, so B/SM became the Boss Class

As I remeber Houser's car was as quick as your out WEST and in the east FJ Smiths was faster that yours in 1978

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

How did you win this race ? when turned on the red light against the late great Lee Shepard,

Ran good enough to win the 77 Cajun Nationals, but in the rain delayed 2 AM final, turned on the red light against the late great Lee Shepard, who happened to have a broken rear-end in the Modified Production Camaro he was driving during his Pro Stock hiatus

Arlen built a real fast car, as guys like him and Don Bowles started builing these "high dollar" cars,

Boy are you off on this one High $$
Fadely' Body in white was $477.00 form Walt Hickey Ford in Southgate MI neat thing about Body in white deal was Ford paid shipping and it was shipped from assembly plant which was Kanasas City which was closer to Floydada TX than Flat Rock.
Hardy's bill was just under $1,800.00 for his work.


The Boss motor had a definite advantage, then the Chevrolet contigent convinced NHRA to split, so B/SM became the Boss Class

As I remeber Houser's car was as quick as your out WEST and in the east FJ Smiths was faster that yours in 1978

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

Ralph, I did not bad mouth you or Arlen, I just don't see what you have to be so bitter about. If you feel Arlens' car was built on a budget, I will not argue that. I already mentioned that Arlen was fast and outran Jimmy Stevens on numerous occassions. Tell me why you are so bent on badmouthing someone who was willing to help your team out in any way he could.

I am just remembering the good times we had, and to leave Jim Stevens out of the discussion of Super Modified history is just plain wrong. Get out your National Dragsters, Super Stock & Car Craft Mags and check the facts, if you must.

Arlen Fadely is the King of Super Modifieds, he could not have done it without you out Ralph.



also:
"Ran good enough to win" is not the same as "won". He had the fastest car there, his opponent broke in the final, a red-light is driver error.

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

If any body was king I would have to give it to Mike Edwards and Bill Long ater all he was the only S/M racer to be World Camp and win the Quaker State Cup.

And how did he help??

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

Why don't you ask Jim Stevens about something? After being qualified #3 at that Amarillo race you mentioned, Ricky Smith helpped Jim do something, looked like change a carb, before the last round of qualifying and picking up about a tenth which bumped me to 3rd. Why did he drive right by the scales? I was on the scales when he drove by, I asked the IHRA official there "Aren't you going to make him weigh?". His reply was "He has been weighing all day, he's OK." That was the last friggin IHRA race I ran.
I watched some stuff being put back into the car after we got back to the pits. And the carb was evidently changed back. Jim had slowed back down on Sunday. I got to race Ricky in the semis, Jim & Ricky got to have an all Ford (Whoopee!) final.

Ask him why he didn't weigh with the rest of us. Guesing Ricky told him he could get away with it. IHRA tech doesn't seem to be so lame now, at least as far as I can tell.

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

[QUOTE=.

And how did he help??[/QUOTE]

Just ask Flat Rock, he'll tell you.

Bill Long & Mike Edwards were able to excel because they bought such a good car. Mike was just a kid back then, but those guys raced real hard and deserved everything they earned.

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

I was not at Amarillo, so I don't know for sure. I can tell you that Jim Stevens has always raced honestly. What could he do if the official waved him around the scales? He built everything he ever raced and raced to prove out what he built, a great ET or MPH was always worth more than an easy win. This is why he went on to running land speed cars at Bonneville & El Mirage, you will find him in the record books and at Speed Week every year.

Sorry that your day was ruined. I only remember them complaining of wheelspin slowing them down on Sunday.

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

He ran the same Sunday as before the last round of qualifying. I couldn't keep mine off the bumper, doubt he was spinning the tires Sunday.

Nobody waved him past the scales, he just did not stop and get in line with the rest of us. I was dissapointed in both him and IHRA.

I built everything I ever raced too.

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

Let me tell you something Bill Long was a very good machinist and engine builder if you have any doubts Call David Nickens and ask him why he hired Bill! Give credit where credit is do! Mike & Bill earned every thing they won! They got a very good car to start with

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

That is right! Bill had that car running faster than when they bought it. Hardest working guys I know. Mike still is. Bill has health problems. Still goes when he can. Both guys long time friends. I tell people when Mike started racing he wasn't shaving yet, and my hair was still brown.

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

I never ran it in the hayday, but love the idea of using 79 rules. Although the heads would be hard to find. I still like the brodix spec deal, and let them police the head. Just a thought, I don't have an answer on how to bring it back, but they have to keep the head money out or real racing will fall by the wayside. I also want to build my own engines.

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

I did and that's what started this!

He had already built a Maverick in 1971 and had been doing the Boss strokers since 1970 when Moldex modifed 312 Y-block cranks to fit into Boss 302 blocks. He and Leroy had been running single 4 V carbs since the AHRA GT 1 days 1970. maybee you should refresh his memory, I listed his phone number and e-mail address. You should remember that every thing that was done to that car when he was racing it from April of 75 to Ocober 78 was shown in articles in Super Stock Magazine, BTW CarCraft in late 74 did a article titled the Boss of Flat Rock on his thoughts for the first Super Modifed Ford engine he was going to build and did. It is the one with the Grump on the cover in a suit setting behind a desk.

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

I will ask him if he has CRS!

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

On more thing take a look at this web site
http://www.boss302.com/smf/index.php?topic=25741.0

Aslo this site it has some pictures of the car at Hardys in December 74 when it was picked up

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

Today you would still only allow production line heads, same as back then. The rule book never specified 1979 and older heads. Those rules could easily apply today. Personally I would favor EFI also, since that is what we have today.

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

OK, might as well put in my two cents.

First, I don't get how Chris says it got too expensive. I built all my own stuff and remained competitive through the run of Super Mod.

Second, Arlen fadely was definately the first SM winner at the US Nationals at Indy in 1977. (I was RU to him for class)

I won class at Indy in 1978 after runner-ups in 1976 and 1977.

I looked in my album and there are 6 NHRA record certificates with my Camaro. I'm also sure that Fadely held the record a number of times including re-setting it twice in a couple weeks at one point.

Third. when you west coast guys came east "we no scare" . Voegelin was the only left coast guy that came to Indy and ran well.

Arlen and I raced hard, were very competitive, and remain good friends to this day.

Super Mod was a great class, had a lot of fun, travelled a bunch, learned a lot, and best of all, won my share.(got a shelf full of Wallys to prove it, too)

FJ Smith

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

Rick was the only fast left coast SM car I remember. Stevens car was nice but I don't remember it ever being blistering fast. Neither was mine, btw.
Anybody know why the 1979 C/SM rules would not work today? Sticks and auto same weight.

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

ed we have a left coast a/sm racer that was pretty fast steve nolan won the div. 6 in 80 and out ran rick and mike at the 80 and 81 winters didnt win though he had a 70 big block nova still has that car in his garage and we both remember your car i would love to see super mod. again i think it would work

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

Steve Nolan and some other fellow!

http://i713.photobucket.com/albums/w...8208_nolan.jpg
http://i713.photobucket.com/albums/w...7810_dowty.jpg

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

He outran Mike, that's Mike in A/SM? I remember Bill building an engine for A, don't Know where they ran it. 1979 was my last year. Everything was worn out and I needed new equipment for my shop, so I quit. Started running a dirt track car here locally. Paid as much to win as a WCS race. Moved to sprint cars later. Did that until 1990. Didn't do anything but work until I lost my mind again a few years ago. I remember you guys names and cars, don't think I ever got to see them run. Sounds like you guys ran really well.

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

ed that is funny when they droped mod. i went sprint car racing myself 360 asphalt car in the nw till i went crazy also and came back told my wife drag racing was cheaper she damn near divorced me LOL alan falcone and me had a great time with the sprint cars he has had alot more success than me winning the SS div. title in div. 6

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

There is a pic of Arlen putting it on the bumper. The poster said his wheelie bars failed. LOL what wheelie bars? Garley Daniels used to put his on the bumper regularly.:)

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

Interesting class to revisit. Could the concept be revived? The 10.5 tire class of the 70's could become the 10.5 tire class of today. Good winter conversation thread.


If you look at the rules, they kind of mirror the IHRA crate motor class but would allow different cylinder heads and roller cams. The heads would be an issue. It was mentioned on another post, a way around this might be a claimer rule. This has worked for the local stock car classes. Why couldn't it be applied to drag racing? We all talk about the costs, it would take some starch out of the money boys, lose a couple of expensive motors. Would the competition be equal, I doubt it but it might level the playing field some for us lo-buck types.

Just to add to the conversation, what about car types? I'm looking at this from the perspective of suspensions. If we had the same type of rules as stock, that limits the types of cars allowed to compete. Would there be an allowance for front wheel drive conversions? How would those be handled? Hate to muddy the waters but just throwing some thoughts out there.

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

A friend pointed me toward this thread. Reading the posts brought back many memories, and stirred up some long-forgotten brain cells. Apologies in advance for this long and rambling post.

I was inspired to look at moldy old issues of Car Craft and NHRA rulebooks to trace the class' history. The original idea of Pro Modified (that's what we called it) was born when John Dianna (then the CC editor) and I were driving his transporter from Bowling Green to Detroit. Car Craft had played a key role in the Econorail concept (back then it was an obsolete front-engine dragster with a small-block and an automatic trans, not the purpose-built dragsters of today), and we came up with a similar doorslammer class. We pitched our idea to NHRA National Tech Director Jim Dale. Dale told us that if there was enough racer support for the idea, he'd consider it.

The first article appeared in July 1974 CC titled "Cutting the High Cost of Racing." (The US was in another recession back then, and money was tight.) The introduction laid out the idea: "Drag racing needs an eliminator bracket which encourages racers to build fast, exciting cars on a low budget. It needs a place for sportsmen who would like to campaign a heads-up, stock-bodied car without committing the financial suicide of going Pro Stock racing. It needs a bracket which spectators will pay to see, and which track operators can run without courting bankruptcy."

Based loosely on the AHRA GT3 class, CC proposed a Pro Modified class at 10 lbs/ci, 1967 or later body, single four-barrel, production cylinder heads, and 12" tires. We put a survey in the magazine for racers to fill out and send, and ran regular updates in following issues. I took two notebooks filled with racer letters and surveys to NHRA headquarters and dumped them on Dale's desk. "There's your response!" I told him.

NHRA bought the concept, but not the details. Instead of a separate heads-up eliminator, the class became part of Modified in 1975. NHRA renamed it A/Super Modified, and specified 9 lbs/in, 2850 lbs. minimum weight (without driver), 366ci maximum, and 10.5" tires. Not more than 50 percent of total weight could be on rear wheels. Only three A/SM cars made the 1975 Winternationals, but by Indy, there were more than 20 in class eliminations. The index was 10.65 as I recall.

In 1976, NHRA expanded Super Modified to three classes: A/SM (8.5 lbs/ci, big-block wedge or canted valve, 850 cfm carb, 11.5" tires, 3350 lbs. minimum with driver); B/SM (9.50 lbs/ci, 3000 lbs. minimum with driver, small-block wedge only, 750 cfm, 10.5" tire); and C/SM (10.50 lbs/ci, otherwise same as B/SM). I believe the respective indexes were 10.40 for A/SM, 10.60 for B/SM, and 10.80 for C/SM. That year at Indy, there were 31 cars in C/SM, and it took five rounds to make Monday's Modified show.

There were no significant rule changes for 1977, but in 1978 A/SM was opened up to allow Hemi and small-block engines, and non-production factory heads were allowed in A/SM and B/SM (permitting 292 turbo heads in Chevys). C/SM was reserved for production wedge heads only, effectively eliminating the Cleveland Mavericks from the class. NHRA also factored the canted valve Fords with a .2 lb/ci penalty (not the right thing to do, but they'd set the precedent with weight breaks for Pro Stocks based on engine type). Cars with automatic transmissions got a 150-pound weight break.

As others have mentioned, many great racers competed in the Super Mod classes over the years. To name just a few: Ray Allen (Truppi/Kling Chevy II), Garley Daniels (C/SM Chevy II), Larry Nelson (Jeg's Chevy II), Mike Cook (C/SM Camaro), Rick Houser (B/SM Chevy II), FJ Smith (B/SM Camaro), Ron Anderson (B/SM Maverick), Jim Ehlen (B/SM Mustang), Dempsey Hardy (C/SM Chevy II), Mike Keener (A/SM Camaro), Steve Nolan (A/SM Nova), Rick McGinnis (C/SM Camaro), Don Bowles (A/SM Fairmont), Mike Edwards (B/SM Maverick), Jim Stevens (B/SM Maverick) and many, many more. (Sorry if I've got cars and classes incorrect, a lot of brain cells have died since then.)

In my opinion, Super Mod died when NHRA killed Modified eliminator at the end of the 1981 season and the classes were split between Super Stock and Comp. When I look at what Super Mod has become, I just shake my head. While I am amazed at how fast the Super Mod cars run and I respect what the racers have accomplished, the current generation of cars is light years away from the original idea of affordable, heads-up racing.

Thanks for the memories,
Rick Voegelin

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

ed you were right, i talked with steve nolan at breakfast this morning and mike was in B/SM as rick just posted ( hi rick ) that was some good times had buy all.

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

n my opinion, Super Mod died when NHRA killed Modified eliminator at the end of the 1981 season and the classes were split between Super Stock and Comp. When I look at what Super Mod has become, I just shake my head. While I am amazed at how fast the Super Mod cars run and I respect what the racers have accomplished, the current generation of cars is light years away from the original idea of affordable, heads-up racing.

Thanks for the memories,
Rick Voegelin

I guess we are in total agreement Rick. Today's SM cars are not much different than today's Altereds ( more or less a chassis car)

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

Why do people have to get personal on these forums and call people stupid????

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

Watch it Ed someone on here is going to call you a old liar!!! LMAO

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

Ed, I was not the only one to see it.

Re: Could Super Modified been different if?
 

I ran A in 75 with a 67 Mustang with 351 Cleveland. NHRA decided that was not legal with the 351 Cleveland block not being stock configuration.

In 76 I started running C with a 67 Camaro - I was moderately competitive (usually wend 3-4 rounds at the Summernationals and did on at Atco & Englishtown weekly Modified eliminator.

Getting back to the OP question what killed the deal for me was when Jimmy Miller (from somewhere around West Chester PA) bought Garley Daniels Silver 67 Chevy II. That car was at least .2 faster than my car. Garley came up once a year to E-town and that was fine but with that car here every week took the wind out of my sails. I did order a set of the state of the art heads with *** valves etc fo the next year but wisely canceled them in favor of raising a family.

http://www.motorsportsinnovations.co...n%205-1-77.jpg