Supermodified (vehicle)
Encyclopedia
Open wheel car
Open-wheel car, formula car, or often single-seater car in British English, describes cars with the wheels outside the car's main body and, in most cases, one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or fenders...
race car that compete on paved short tracks
Short track motor racing
In North American auto racing, particularly with regard to NASCAR, a short track is a racetrack of less than one mile in length. Short track racing, often associated with fairgrounds and similar venues, is where stock car racing first got off the back roads and into organized and regulated...
throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The class was founded in the 1950s and is especially popular in the Western states, the Northeast
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
and Great Lakes
Great Lakes region (North America)
The Great Lakes region of North America, occasionally known as the Third Coast or the Fresh Coast , includes the eight U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as well as the Canadian province of Ontario...
regions.
Design
Supermodifieds are generally constructed from aircraft-quality .095 thick chromium-molybdenum ("chromoly") frame tubing with steel and aluminum components. The bodies are fabricated from fiberglass and aluminum. The cars are powered by fuel-injected V8 engines that run on methanol fuelMethanol fuel
Methanol is an alternative fuel for internal combustion and other engines, either in combination with gasoline or directly . It is used in racing cars and in China...
and can produce in excess of 800 horsepower. While big block V8 engines are allowed on the west coast, nearly all competitors choose to run aluminum small blocks of 410-430 cu. in., whereas the cars of the east run the mandatory cast iron big block with aluminum heads bored to the allowable 468 cu. in. Cars in the midwest can run small blocks up to 412 cu. in. or big blocks up to 481 cu. in.
Modern era supermodifieds run a radical offset chassis that is up to 18 in. to the left of center. The engine and driveline components themselves are mounted in a specially-fabricated area placed outside the left side frame rails. The engine is thus a stressed member of the chassis. This allows weight distribution to favor the left side (often as much as 70%) and thereby aid cornering around the left-hand turns of an oval track. The giant wings, (generally 24 sq ft (2.2 m²)' max), mounted on the roll cage of the cars bear a resemblance to those found on sprint cars
Sprint car racing
Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa....
and serve a similar purpose, designed to produce down force and allow them to make tight turns at high speed. The west coast style cars of ERA and SMRA run a fixed wing, whereas the cars of the east generally run a wing mounted to the suspension or chassis by pneumatic struts. The racing slick tires used on a supermodified are among the widest used in pavement oval racing.
Like sprint cars, supermodifieds do not have starters, batteries, or transmissions and are push-started.
The combination of high power, light weight, and high cornering ability allow supermodifieds to average over 120 mi/h on a 1/2-mile oval and 150 mi/h on a 1 miles (1.6 km) oval, with top speeds over 190 mi/h. They are thought by many to be the fastest short oval track race cars in use.
Sanctioning bodies
There are currently four supermodified racing sanctioning bodies in North America.ISMA
The largest of the four is the Liverpool, New YorkLiverpool, New York
Liverpool is a village located in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 2,505 at the 2000 census. The name was adopted from the city of Liverpool in the United Kingdom...
-based International SuperModified Association (ISMA). Founded in 1974 by multi-time Oswego Speedway
Oswego Speedway
The Oswego Speedway is a race track in Oswego, New York. It was built in 1951 and today is an asphalt race track. The track is the Labor Day Weekend home of the 200-lap, non-wing, big-block supermodified Budweiser Classic and Race of Champions...
champions Jim Shampine and Nolan Swift to insure the future of supermodified racing. With the help of local businessman, Tom Heveron, they formed ISMA as a forum for owners and drivers to express their ideas and opinions as they felt that they were not allowed to do so under the management of Oswego Speedway.
The goals were to upgrade supermodified racing with better safety conditions, more events per season to insure sufficient purses and to aid drivers with their race related problems. The association worked with track managements in making decisions and in discussing ways of improvement. The club encouraged new drivers and owners interested other tracks in supermodified racing and helped to make the division stronger and more well known to a wider audience.
Tom Heveron as President, with the help of Vice President, Jim Shampine and Secretary/Treasurer Fred Graves, led ISMA through its developmental stages. ISMA negotiated with Lancaster for a 40 lap race held on July 3, 1974 in (50,140 mm) which Todd Gibson of Richwood, OH won. The following year ISMA booked races at Fulton Speedway with a $5,000 purse and $1,000 to win.
Starting in 1976 ISMA developed a point fund with tracks contributing $500- $1,000 per race to this fund. Unlike most other point systems, ISMA awards points to the car owners as ISMA is an owners club rather than drivers. Joining the Heveron Shampine and Graves team, Shirley Letcher took over the responsibility for the point system. In just three seasons, ISMA had accomplished sanctioning over $96,000 in purse money and races, adding a point fund of $4,400 paid by promoters, having tow money at all of the ISMA sanctioned races, having insurance certificates from each promoter on file, and working with other promoters for mare races in 1977. With races at Fulton (NY), Delaware(Ont. CAN), Star(NH), Flamboro(Ont. CAN), and Thompson(CT), Steve Gioia, Jr. became ISMA's first points Champion.
ISMA continues to be at the forefront of supermodified sanctioning bodies, pioneering the franchise system, in which teams purchase a franchise at the beginning of the season. Creating a win-win situation for both the teams and promoters, each of the 19 franchise teams are allowed to miss up to 3 shows during the race season while being guaranteed a minimum starting purse of $1,000 at each event. This system helps to ensure solid, stable car counts and a successful event for the promoter.
As of 2008 ISMA generally sanctions between 13-17 shows a year including two of the prestigious supermodified Triple Crown Series at 1/4-5/8 mile paved short tracks located in 6 states and Canada.
Major events on the ISMA schedule include leg one of the supermodified 'Triple Crown' the Hy-Miler Supermodified Nationals, held annually at Sandusky (Ohio) Speedway
Sandusky Speedway
Sandusky Speedway is a half-mile automobile race track located south of the city of Sandusky in Perkins Township, Ohio. The track features low banking in the turns and long straightaways. It has a layout similar to Martinsville Speedway....
since 1978, and leg three of the Triple Crown, the All-Star Classic 200 held at All-Star Speedway in Epping, NH for over 40 years. Races are also run at other tracks across the Northeast and Midwest
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
, with one annual race at Delaware Speedway
Delaware Speedway
Delaware Speedway is a half-mile paved race track that is one of the oldest continuously operating tracks in Canada. It is located a few minutes west of London, Ontario northeast of Delaware, Ontario. It hosts stock car racing every Friday night during the summer...
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada.
The cars in this series use wings that are designed to move with the airflow over the car, lying almost level with the ground on straightaways creating less aerodynamic drag, and standing up in the turns to increase down force. The only allowable engine with ISMA is a cast iron big block up to 468 cu. in. Aluminum heads are allowed and the cars must weigh a mandatory 1850 lb (839.1 kg) post race.
Notable ISMA competitors, past and present, include Dave Simard, Bentley Warren
Bentley Warren
Bentley Warren , is an American racecar driver. He is best known for racing in the USAC Championship Car series, and for some New Englanders, even more so for his racing in the Supermodified winged cars now called ISMA.He had his first win 1957 at West Peabody, Massachusetts. As of 2007 he has won...
, Doug Heveron
Doug Heveron
Doug Heveron is an American race car driver from Liverpool, New York. He has driven supermodifieds, modifieds, Indy cars, NASCAR Winston Cup cars, NASCAR Busch Grand National cars, sprint cars, late models and midgets....
, Joe Gosek
Joe Gosek
Joe Gosek , is a super-modified racecar driver. He also raced in the 1996 Indianapolis 500, finishing 22nd.Was nicknamed "Double-O" Joe Gosek for his traditional use of car number '00.'...
and Johnny Benson
Johnny Benson
Jonathan Benson, Jr. is an American NASCAR driver and the son of former Michigan modified driver John Benson, Sr...
.
MSA
Established in 2001, the Sandusky, OhioSandusky, Ohio
Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east....
-based Midwest Supermodified Association (MSA) runs on six tracks, primarily in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
but also with visits to Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
and two tracks in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, including Oswego Speedway. Drivers from the MSA frequently take part in ISMA races at or near their home tracks, such as Sandusky and Oswego.
SMRA
The SuperModified Racing Association (SMRA) governs supermodified racing in the Western United StatesWestern United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
. The SMRA grew from the defunct Western States Supermodified Racing League (WSSRL), which ran one season in 2007 at tracks in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and Washington before disbanding. Of these tracks, only Rocky Mountain Raceway in Utah and Madera Speedway in California have returned, with a third track, Magic Valley Speedway in Idaho, making up the 2008 SMRA schedule.
The SMRA has a much more liberal rulebook than its eastern counterparts, with less restrictions on engine placement (rear-engined cars were universally banned in the 1980s) and allowing other such advancements as independent suspension
Independent suspension
Independent suspension is a broad term for any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically independently of each other. This is contrasted with a beam axle, live axle or deDion axle system in which the wheels are linked – movement on one side affects...
.
However, the SMRA ceased operations in early 2011 and no sanctioning currently exists in California. Nearly half the races scheduled for 2011 where cancelled due to a shortage of entries.
ERA
The oldest of the four currently-operating sanctioning bodies for supermodified racing is the ColoradoColorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
-only Englewood Racing Association, which was formed in 1965 at Englewood Speedway. That track closed in 1979 and the series now runs a 9-race schedule, all of which are at Colorado National Speedway in Erie, Colorado.