CLASS RACER FORUM - View Single Post - how was stock/super stock ran in the 60's and 70's?

chris3racing · 03-07-2010, 10:57 PM

Those were the days. When I saw this post I thought man how I would like to be back racing in those days. The races were all based on the national record. You showed up at the track, put a "shoe polish" class on your windshield and waited for your class to be called. Whatever class you were in, you might be the only one in your class. If there was only one car in the class then maybe a B/S and a D/S would run with a head start given the the slower car based on there respective national record. Both cars were still class winners. All the class winners were called back at the end of the day for "Stock" and "Super Stock" Eliminator. Again run-offs were based on the national record for each class car. You could forget looking at the weather, figure out what can I run this time do I want to dial faster or slower, run the record and win. It was that simple. Run to fast you broke out. Run too fast the second time you have moved the national record.

Any East Coast racers remember the name Bobby Warren and Haywood Register from Clinton, North Carolina. Find yourself a few National Dragster and East Coast Drag Times, from those days and look at how many different national records Bobby held in different stock classes at any one time. If you have the papers look at the cars which held the record. Some times the same car possibly held as many as three or four record at any one time. Bobby was the National Record man in stock eliminator in those days.

When Modified Production class came along was some of the most fun class racing around. On a given week-end a track would have a Gas and Modified race. Man was that soom good racing in C/MP, D/MP, E/MP and F/MP. I can hear those 10,000 rpm, winding small blocks with tunnel ram, two four barrel Holley Carbs through Stahl headers right now while I am typing this.

And I don't know when or how it all changed. As I have said in other posts on here, we quit racing in 1973. At that time, we were Super Stock racing and a lot of match races. Local Super Stock racers were paid to fill in a Match race show. A track would book the big names to draw the crowd, Ronnie Sox, Dyno Don, Bill Jenkins, Don Carlton and local Super Stock cars were the fill-in for the show. These races would be a lead in to a two out of three match race between the "Big Boys." This spread to local tracks, they would have match races with the local fill-in cars being match up for a big Sunday afternoon race. These Super Stock races would be EVERY night of the week, up and down the East Coast. There was always a crowd of spectators, many of them with cameras that used the big large metal flashes with these big plug in flash bulbs.

We are back racing now and the thing I don't see is the spectators in the stands.

03-07-2010, 10:57 PM	#3
chris3racing Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 528 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: how was stock/super stock ran in the 60's and 70's? Those were the days. When I saw this post I thought man how I would like to be back racing in those days. The races were all based on the national record. You showed up at the track, put a "shoe polish" class on your windshield and waited for your class to be called. Whatever class you were in, you might be the only one in your class. If there was only one car in the class then maybe a B/S and a D/S would run with a head start given the the slower car based on there respective national record. Both cars were still class winners. All the class winners were called back at the end of the day for "Stock" and "Super Stock" Eliminator. Again run-offs were based on the national record for each class car. You could forget looking at the weather, figure out what can I run this time do I want to dial faster or slower, run the record and win. It was that simple. Run to fast you broke out. Run too fast the second time you have moved the national record. Any East Coast racers remember the name Bobby Warren and Haywood Register from Clinton, North Carolina. Find yourself a few National Dragster and East Coast Drag Times, from those days and look at how many different national records Bobby held in different stock classes at any one time. If you have the papers look at the cars which held the record. Some times the same car possibly held as many as three or four record at any one time. Bobby was the National Record man in stock eliminator in those days. When Modified Production class came along was some of the most fun class racing around. On a given week-end a track would have a Gas and Modified race. Man was that soom good racing in C/MP, D/MP, E/MP and F/MP. I can hear those 10,000 rpm, winding small blocks with tunnel ram, two four barrel Holley Carbs through Stahl headers right now while I am typing this. And I don't know when or how it all changed. As I have said in other posts on here, we quit racing in 1973. At that time, we were Super Stock racing and a lot of match races. Local Super Stock racers were paid to fill in a Match race show. A track would book the big names to draw the crowd, Ronnie Sox, Dyno Don, Bill Jenkins, Don Carlton and local Super Stock cars were the fill-in for the show. These races would be a lead in to a two out of three match race between the "Big Boys." This spread to local tracks, they would have match races with the local fill-in cars being match up for a big Sunday afternoon race. These Super Stock races would be EVERY night of the week, up and down the East Coast. There was always a crowd of spectators, many of them with cameras that used the big large metal flashes with these big plug in flash bulbs. We are back racing now and the thing I don't see is the spectators in the stands.