30 years ago at Indy

[james schaechter]

This was the first Indy I ever went to and I was a kid spectator. What I remember most oddly enough was the many racers back at the motel that were pissed off and sad at the same time. I didn't really know all the history to it at the time, but that stands out. We stayed at the Old Capri Motel that year and for many years at Indy. Bob Gipson had purchased Stan Stripe's A/MP car as a roller and had been holding off whether to build it as a modified or a SSer. This clinched it and it became a SSEA 427 69 Camaro.

As far as Stout is concerned, I think he beat most everybody in class. Except Willie Devore. In 1986 I was racing Bob Gipson's 81 Camaro SSAS. I thought I left a mile ahead of Stout's SBC Camaro and he passed me in low gear! LOL. Willie Devore out ran him for Class Honors with his SSAS stickshift Olds powered Olds cutlass. That was pretty cool too.

[Alan Roehrich]

For example, in the lower MP classes that NHRA completely eliminated, if you were already at minimum weight, and could not remove more weight, or build a bigger engine with the same HP per cubic inch, you were pretty much done. And even if you had to build a new engine, that means your current combination was done.

If you had a 300 cubic inch engine, were running in a lower class that NHRA completely eliminated, couldn't build a bigger engine, and couldn't take out more weight, that was the end of your combination. You could change to a different engine, but that wasn't the same combination.

As far as moving to Super Stock goes, remember that was back in the day of (at least supposedly) unported heads and such, among other limitations in traditional Super Stock classes. So, moving a 276 cubic inch, 11,000 RPM powered 5 speed car intended to run off the index, into a class full of comparatively mild automatic cars running in bracket mode was sort of like pushing a rope. Uphill.

A lot of people who were running Modified around here used up their engines, and then their transmissions, and went bracket racing or .90 super class racing. That's what we did. First the little 260-290 cubic inch engines went, replaced by a mild bracket big block, then when the Doug Nash stuff got tired, it got replaced by a PowerGlide, and eventually the stock front clip gave way to a tube chassis and a glass front end. Eventually, it was a Super/Pro and Super/Gas car. And then came throttle stops, delay boxes, and air shifters. By then, I hated all of it. I quit for nearly 15 years.

[Ed Wright]

I parked my C/SM Camaro at the end of 1979, so was not racing when they killed Modified. What was NHRA's reason? When I quit, it certainly could not have been lack of cars.

[blkjack]

We had a C/SM 68 Camaro when Modified died.This drove us to IHRA and econo modified (another dead class) . Only problem was all the heavy hitters from the south like Mark Osborne and such all had Gene Fulton motored Corvette Stringrays ,,,,,,,,ouch!

[Andrew Hill]

Man this looks like it was such a cool class, wish I was alive when it was still goin.

[blkjack]

http://dragnut.smugmug.com/Magazine-...46988134_vwMmo

[FED 387]

My car is picture #46 in that group!!! Thanx Comp 387

[Stan Perry]

What about when we use to have to TECH in the " round de round " and they would take like 5 cars in at a time,,set around there all day, but when 5:00 came the saw horses went up and SEE YOU IN THE MORN. So you stayed in the Race car ,the car hauler or on the ground until the next day. When you did get thru tech you got to go inside the track and wait and wait and wait and wait some more and MAYBE get a time trial. At the end of the day you loaded up everything and went to the motel with your race car and all the stuff you had with you !!!! Party almost all night but you had to go to the track and line up out on the side of the road at gate 6 at 4:00 AM and wait for the gate to open to get a good parking place and start all over again "waiting" for a time trail,,, But i wouldn't take anything for this... I know we was "CRAZY" for doing it but it was INDY,,,,,,,,,, when it meant something to win class .................All class winners had to tear down, Just because I remember this dont mean I'M old,,, just means I've been going to INDY a LONG time!!! If you dont believe me ask some of the "old racers " and listen to their stories....

[Bob Rice]

Originally Posted by blkjack

http://dragnut.smugmug.com/Magazine-...46988134_vwMmo

Thanks for posting the link!
Bob Rice

[Alan Roehrich]

Originally Posted by Stan Perry

What about when we use to have to TECH in the " round de round " and they would take like 5 cars in at a time,,set around there all day, but when 5:00 came the saw horses went up and SEE YOU IN THE MORN. So you stayed in the Race car ,the car hauler or on the ground until the next day. When you did get thru tech you got to go inside the track and wait and wait and wait and wait some more and MAYBE get a time trial. At the end of the day you loaded up everything and went to the motel with your race car and all the stuff you had with you !!!! Party almost all night but you had to go to the track and line up out on the side of the road at gate 6 at 4:00 AM and wait for the gate to open to get a good parking place and start all over again "waiting" for a time trail,,, But i wouldn't take anything for this... I know we was "CRAZY" for doing it but it was INDY,,,,,,,,,, when it meant something to win class .................All class winners had to tear down, Just because I remember this dont mean I'M old,,, just means I've been going to INDY a LONG time!!! If you dont believe me ask some of the "old racers " and listen to their stories....

Yep, Stan remembers when you slept on the road that lead into Bowling Green, in a line to be teched, and the tech guys worked their way out towards the main road. He even remembers when the race at Bowling Green was THE Sportsnationals. And when the pro classes ran at the "points meets". But he's not old, he just knows all of the old guys, by their first names!