Historic Tech Questions

KenK

All-around racing fan
RE 1970's Tri City Speedway Sportsman cars:

Were these cars allowed racing shocks, weight jacks, and headers?

Was it allowed to remove the trunk floor?

Were fuel cells required?

Were they 2 barrel carb engines? Iron intakes only?

RE AARA Limited Sportsman cars:

When I look at old pics of these cars, it seems many had "zoomies", 8 individual
primary header tubes pointing up. When I first when to Belle-Claire in 1979, I'm sure
they had collector headers under the car. When was this changed?

I saw what I believe was an AARA Limited Sportsman car at a car show in St. Louis
in the 1973-76 era. It was a red 55-57 Chevy, I believe a 57, and I'm sure it had stock manifolds.
Of course, sometimes cars appear in shows configured differently than raced.
 
Ken K. I raced sportsman cars in the late 70's to the early 80's at Tri-City. The rules allowed racing shocks and one weight jack on the right front, My car had a VW gas tank although I'm sure there were cars with fuel cells. I had a 66 Chevelle with stock upper trailing arms but long truck arms on the bottom which were allowed. You could only run stock front end components. No weight rules back then. By the way, when I first started in 1977 the rule for Chevy's was a stock block including intake with a Rochester 2bbl carb, 283ci only.You could not by rule mix and match different engines with different body styles. only Chevy with Chevy, Ford with Ford etc.

Brian
 
In the late '70's at Tri City you were allowed to use a 283 in a Chevy with a stock iron intake and Rochester 2 jet. Headers were not allowed. I can't remember exactly about the weight jacks but I think they were allowed on all corners as were Hoosier recap racing tires. Most cars used a stainless steel beer keg or VW gas tank. Tri City was not sanctioned by AARA during that time so their rules were probably different. They ran the cars with no front end sheet metal during that time and they did allow headers.
 
I had a 68 Camaro on a 57 chevy frame - had a junk yard 350 with a solid liter cam- (had $52 in the motor) had a 3/4 ton 8 hole truck rear end with 488 gears-the night curtus Blackwell rolled his kit car in qualifying or the first heat - I barrowed a pair of very short tires from pop grey and won the feature by half a straight--got a picture some where of me in my racing bibs in victory lane--some stiff competition --bert cheatham--for one---- I could write a book..."them were the days my friend-we thought they would never end"
 
I had a 68 Camaro on a 57 chevy frame

I remember watching you race an orange-ish 1st gen Camaro. I saw you race it at TCS on the half mile as a late model, I believe it
would have been 1978. I remember you had to shift it on the straights. I saw you in this car at Belle-Claire running as a modified
in 1979, the first time I was at that track.

I remember Cletus Blackwell in a Nova sportsman car at TCS in 1980 on the half mile.

1384167_839338879420510_5308764686896335821_n.jpg


Is this the Cletus Blackwell KitKar? This was supposed to have been taken 4-21-1979
 
Ken K. I raced sportsman cars in the late 70's to the early 80's at Tri-City. The rules allowed racing shocks and one weight jack on the right front, My car had a VW gas tank although I'm sure there were cars with fuel cells. I had a 66 Chevelle with stock upper trailing arms but long truck arms on the bottom which were allowed. You could only run stock front end components. No weight rules back then. By the way, when I first started in 1977 the rule for Chevy's was a stock block including intake with a Rochester 2bbl carb, 283ci only.You could not by rule mix and match different engines with different body styles. only Chevy with Chevy, Ford with Ford etc.

Is this it? (Again, not my photo)

Brian Eaves.jpg
 
Yes.That is my first race car. I believe it was built by Paul McGinn. Me and my brother Jeff bought it from Chuck Milam for $700 in the winter of 1976. This pic is from my first night of racing on opening night at T-C, !977. I was 18 years old, now I'm 58. I haven't seen this pic in years. Thanks for posting it.

Brian Eaves #44
 
BTW.I drove my last race in 2014 at Flora Il. (I was fortunate enough to win the feature). Then health issues forced me to hang up my helmet. Since then, my health has taken a turn for the better and my doctor says I can race again in July of 2018. I still have my Sportsman car. Me and my wife are debating that possibility now. So far, I don't seem to be gaining much ground in these negotiations. lol.

Brian
 
Tri City was not sanctioned by AARA during that time so their rules were probably different. They ran the cars with no front end sheet metal during that time and they did allow headers.


Yes, I know that, as stated in the original post where I mentioned that I have seen the pictures of the cars and I saw the cars in person at the track in
Belleville. I know & understand that Tri-City was not an AARA track at the time.

I thought it was clear that these were two different questions.

The question is when did the "zoomies" get disallowed by AARA?
 
BTW.I drove my last race in 2014 at Flora Il. (I was fortunate enough to win the feature). Then health issues forced me to hang up my helmet. Since then, my health has taken a turn for the better and my doctor says I can race again in July of 2018. I still have my Sportsman car. Me and my wife are debating that possibility now. So far, I don't seem to be gaining much ground in these negotiations. lol.

Brian
You could go with Gateway Vintage, not every week and just for fun
 
OLD BELCLAIR--enterence on the back straight---if I could get my scanner to work with my desk top I would post some history--blackwells car was a mo-par- as best I can remember----won a feature @ godfrey on a flat tire---we ran bucrons and beautle air tires----
 
the first shot is @ bellclair--the night I out ran art gross don klein had a hand in build that tank--second is in 69 at st.charles--THE DOG RACE""--the last one is at tri city-fire pruf bibs--the motor in that car came out of a $52 chevy wagon---
 

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