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Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
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ORANGE SHOW WAS SUPERMODIFIED by Norm Bogan |
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On a rare Friday night, the lights were on at
the Orange Show Speedway. The
occasion was the first visit of the exotic SRL Super-Modified racing
machines. This
quarter-mile oval is a tight course for these 800 plus horse-powered
engineering marvels. Series star, Troy Regier established the track record for
this class of cars at 11.359, quickest time for any class competing
at the San Bernardino venue. These racing machines are works of art,
designed to allow cars to easily trace the arc of the oval.
With an engine tipped to the left about 45 degrees and
connected with a driveline and gearbox mounted to the left side of
the driver’s compartment, cars are off set with nearly 70% of
weight distributed on the southpaw side, allowing the racer to
naturally pull to the left. A
wing on top provides down force opposing a tendency of centrifugal
force, to keep all wheels on the asphalt.
The right side resembles an outrigger canoe with wheels
extended out like training wheels on a tyke’s bicycle. After a couple of heat races to help the
drivers dial in their cars, fifteen racers staged for the 40 lap
Main Event. A.J.
Russell assumed the lead and fought off the challenges from Kenny
Hamilton and Bobby Dalton throughout the race.
Troy Regier got collected by a lapped car about halfway
through the feature and had to restart at the rear.
Regier was able to climb back up to fifth by the end of the
race, trailing fourth place, Jim Birges. An interesting sidelight is that eighteen year
old, Bobby Dalton won his racecar in a drawing two years ago.
When the sixteen year old was asked what he would do with the
prize, he stated “Race It”!
Well, all he needed was most of the running gear and an
engine. This year,
Bobby has been a strong runner with a well-prepared car. Good to his word, Bobby would “Race It” and is doing
quite well. The regular fans at Orange Show are used to
mostly Stock Car programs, with the Late Models being the fastest
among the regular faire, turning laps about 3 seconds slower than
these sleek Super-Modifieds. It
is awe inspiring to see these special chassis with the wings
creating extra down force circle the track like a NASA Rocket Ship
race. Many fans came to see this special Friday night
show and seemed impressed with the offering.
Afterward, the pits were abuzz with race attendees perusing
these racers, taking pictures, getting autographs and buying
T-shirts. Look for a
return engagement next season.
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