Sunday, October 19, 2014

Exploring Sprint Car Dirt Track Racing

By Patty Goff


Races are exciting. Whether you are an observer or a participant races incite the competitive nature in all people. They have done so for centuries and races can be traced through history back to ancient Greece and Rome by historians. Chariot races, foot races and horse races have been a part of every civilization all over the world. The competitive drive today also includes other activities such as sprint car dirt track racing.

These are high speed races that allow fans to experience some of the excitement felt by drivers while on the tracks. The vehicles can obtain speeds up to one hundred forty MPH or more on these short tracks. The oval tracks range from as large as a mile to as small as an eighth of a mile and the high speed that the racers can generate a lot of intense excitement for fans and drivers alike.

Once the car and driver have registered to participate in a race there can be no substitutions of either. They are a team and if either component cannot perform they will be disqualified from the race. This rule includes the vehicle meeting all directives required by the vehicle specifications division of track and sanctioning bodies of each race.

In 1958 Jim Cushman designed what he called wings for these cars. This concept was to place scoop shaped wings on the top and rear of the vehicle to create stronger down force, or drafts, for them which helps to keep the cars from becoming air born during the race. This aide in preventing the cars from flipping over while they race. Side wings were then devised to help with steering them during the frequent turns on tracks. These wings became common place during the early 1970s and added extra safety features by protecting a driver should his vehicle actually flip over during the race.

Many other safety measures have been adopted in the past few years to prevent injuries. The industry has implemented roll cages inside the cars along with six or seven point seat belt harnesses that must be less than two years old. Other improvements that are required include double layered driving suits and driving gloves that are fire proof and designed to protect hands and fingers during any collision. Neck braces and head rests as well as metal netting to cover roll cage openings have also become mandatory equipment for the cars.

Sprint racing is the origin of many NASCAR drivers' careers. They create their reputations as drivers and eventually make the transition to the larger vehicles and tracks. It is not uncommon for them to retain their licenses for short track racing after making the initial change.

Individual sanctioning bodies generally require drivers to maintain licenses in their organization prior to racing with them. Since there are several different bodies it is not unusual for a driver to belong to more than one at a time. There are fees that are required prior to each race that must be paid by the driver who registers.

Over the years coverage on television has been on and off but they can be found on sports channels occasionally as delayed tape replays for those fans who truly love the sport.




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