NASCAR Modified Cars
Susan Nelson Hopkins
Early race drivers were conventional thrill seekers. Some accounts say that they started as bootleggers and gangsters. It's a bit embarrassing, but that's part of our NASCAR roots.
Back in the day, cars were mostly rich men’s possession, and most owners were professionals with more things going on than racing. But they had a lot fun racing, and the concept of stock car racing took shape.
About the only others wealthy enough to own a "souped" up car were gangsters. Moonshiners had fast cars because they modified them... they certainly couldn't afford to buy them that way. At least, not in the beginning. So began do-it-yourself stock car "racing". When Prohibition ended, these same folks started racing modified cars at a grassroot level.
NASCAR today blends these two racing histories. NASCAR fans are from all economic, cultural, and religious backgrounds... not even gender gets in the way of a good race.
NASCAR uses ‘stock’ cars for racing, as opposed to specially built cars in other racing tournaments like Formula One and NHRA. When the founder William France Sr. formed NASCAR, his intentions were to use ‘stock’ models, cars that are normally available to the general public without too much alteration. He maintained that this regulation would guarantee that race cars aren’t modified to such a degree that one type of car would have a huge advantage over the next one. And this regulation is basically responsible for making NASCAR the most successful race tournament in history.
In the past, entry level drivers drove stock cars that they were also personal-use car. NASCAR entry cars of more recent times are far from the cars that emerge from production. The only semblance of stock material would be perhaps the body template, but even that's generous. The chassis, running gear, tires, and even the carburetor (as most late car models now use fuel injection) of a NASCAR modified car are a far cry from what the "stock" car right off the production line.
So, just how different are NASCAR modified cars from factory cars? That depends on how you see it. Modifications to one driver are considered "extras", while to another driver they just "standard". Most NASCAR fans are for function instead of form... whatever gets the job done (without cheating).
Just like in life, the current generation of NASCAR drivers and fans focus on what's happening now, not the "good old days" when stock car racing was won by the seat of your pants.
I guess it's just how you look at it. Are you going to sit in your armchair remembering, or join the rowdy NASCAR fans!
Susan Nelson Hopkins
is the
webmaster for three website collections... the
Eyes-Only-Club (includes several family sites),
Susan's Gardens (a group of gardening sites), and
BirdsnBugsnBees
(a sample of planned kids sites).
Hopkins-Enterprises is another of her sites, and includes links to
family-friendly activities and topics. All websites include material either
authored by Susan or adapted by her... including the graphics. AND, the content
is always family-friendly.
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