Team "Check Mate"

[Michael Beard]

Mike - enjoyed reading all your stories. I was happy to get to know you during the formation of Top Stock. Forgive me, as it was before my time, but what was the race format for Modified? I got to see a number of really cool Modified pics at Adger Smith's. It amazing that something so cool ever went away.

[Mike Keener]

Michael,

Thanks, I also enjoyed working with you and IHRA getting Top Stock off the ground. Your PR work was second to none and a huge boost to the success of the class.

In the beginning Modified Eliminator was run off the respective National Record for each class until 1975 when the system was switched over to the index system still in use today, but with tremendous differences. Prior to the "Index System" cars were run off the National Record with "no break out" EXCEPT IN THE FINAL ROUND. To keep it exciting you could run under the record in the final as far as you needed to go to win but the penalty was that if you did run under (even if you didn't win) it established a new National Record effective immediately! Also in those days there were points awarded for establishing a new National Record at points meet but of coarse that was a double edged sword because although you received the additional points, you also had to run off the newly established record and needless to say that could be painful... depending.....

After the National Record system was abolished for 1975 along came the Index System. The major difference between then and now was that the indexes were quite realistic and very difficult to run under. However, the good news was there was NO BREAKOUT during any round of competition making performance and the R&D within your program top priority. For example at the 1976 Fall Nationals Tony Christian and I were the two quickest cars in a 32 car field at a whopping .22 seconds under our respective indexes! Also in those days there were no reaction times, 60ft times, etc., etc. All you got was an ET and MPH time slip and that was it! Imagine that today..LOL!

MK