Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

    I know, it's change and nobody likes change, but consoder the logic:

Utilizing 5'x4' top wings on winged sprin tcars could do the following:
*Reduce the downforce of the cars by 20% right off the bat.
*Take stress and accululated wear & tear off the motor, drivetrain and tires
*Unstick the cars from the track a bit (by 20%? is something like that measurable?)
*Allow more driver influence on the race, due to less traction
*Conceivably save teams money on engines and other parts that work under high stress on locked down cars


Some folks would inevitably see some downsides:
*The cars would be a tick slower around the track, and track records might not fall as fast in the future
*The cars would look- you know- *different*
*A lot of 5x5 top wings would become obsolete, sunk cost inventory.


I would answer the downsides this way:
*The cars would be fractions of a second slower, not 20% slower.  Lap times vary from race to race and night to night.  They even vary from start to finish of time trials.  Can anyone really spot a .3 second difference if all the cars are going .3 seconds slower than they did with the 5'x5' wings?
*The cars would look a little *different*.  That's called change.  That's the same thing that happened when they put rollcages on the cars, and wings on the cars, and downtubes on the cars.  The best comparison would be when Danny Lasoski put the extra bodywork on his sprinter some years back and effectively made all sprints sport nearly enclosed cockpits with aero side panels.  Would a top wing 6" narrower on each side be as noticable as all that side panel stuff now?
*The cost of a couple of $600(?) 5'x5' wings being obsolete would seem to be more than offset by the saved wear and tear on the engines, etc..  Besides, some enterprising dude or dudette would figure a way to narrow the existing 5'x5' wings.


What do you think?

Take them all the way off.

Wings are actually more than $1,000 each with any paint and numbers, and wing cap.At one time there was no rule on wing and some had 6x6 wings.

Wing angle and placement rule is all they need. Every premier series dictates spoiler and wing size, angle and placement.

 
 
 
They don't even know how to spell sprint car 
much less chromoly...http://www.ycmco.com

Yup, lets follow nascars example. Give them only 2 shocks to chose from. Tell them they can only use 1 of 2 rear end gears. only 1 tire, no hard or medium to chose from. Regulate the crap out of them, that makes for great, cheap racing. Just like NASCRAP!

I agree with you.....too damn many rules now and the rich guys still rule....like in all motor sports and that won't change. But....cut one thing...the engine packages and the "less" rich guys will compete. Especially if some of the current rules are slacked off. Teams need more imput on set up changes.

Bricks for tires = Problem solved

Member of this message board since 1997

How about this. Let's leave it alone. Those with money will always prevail and those without will always play catchup. You take downforce away and then all you will have is who can pay to get and refresh XYZ shock package.  All this does is cost the teams that have no money more money. 

+1 and make them narrower and shorter    Simple rule for what size is legal, build a box out of plywood.    The box has to fit over the winners tire after the race.    If it doesn't fall freely over the tire, DQ.

Hard tires and less rubber on the ground, leave the wings alone.

For every one that wants them to "take the wings off" just go to a dang wingless show already.     They're already out there if that is what you really want to see.

Yeah and how has that worked out? NASCAR has been chasing their asses for the last 10-15 years trying to get the racing like it was in the 80's and 90's with today's equipment. That's just what we need is more regulations. Dirty air was something you only heard on Sundays after a NASCRAP event but now, its as big of a deal in sprint car racing as it is anywhere else. Just leave shit alone. The money people always have and always will have an advantage over those with less. That's life. Not everyone gets a trophy because not everyone is good enough to get a trophy. Regardless of the rules, Donny Schatz will still win 20+ races a year most years. It was just last year that they changed the rules concerning the shocks and Donny was the reason. While everyone at KKR were bitching and whining about that, Schatz and his team went to work and stayed focused on getting the absolute most out of what they had and look what we have now. He's most likely going to end the season with well over 30 wins. Regardless of the rules, greatness will always be great.

I see what you're saying, but the sprint car family tree branched out many years back.  Wing and non-wing are similar, but different breeds of race cars now.

     How long would it take recoup $1000 if your engine and drivetrain wear and tear was a lot less?

Wouldn't you still have the same wear and tear on the engines/drive trains?  Also, if the wings are adjustable, how do you enforce a wing angle rule?

Wouldn't it be cheaper to just cut the size & downforce of the top wings?  Shouldn't less stress on the engine/drive train make it easier for the less rich guys to compete?  The better racers will be faster.  The higher funded teams (most times) will be faster.  Could the 4'x5' wings cause the racing to be closer, and perhaps help the expenses, and therefore number of cars on the track?

     I disagree.  This leave it alone policy is what has gotten big time sprint car racing to where it is now.  I keep reading that if you unhook the cars more, the driver and set-up become more important.  Is that a bad thing?

Hmmm, let me think here.  Danny Dietrich from 12th to 1st for the win last night at Lincoln.  Shane Stewart from 14th to win the Kings Royal last night.  Hodnett from 8th to win at Port Royal last night. 

If you want to unhook the cars because you think they are going too fast that's one thing.  But to take away tire or wing will only cost teams money.  LEAVE IT ALONE..... 

Remove the wings altogether.

Replace sponsor space with metal inside the side nerfs.

Wings make them easier to drive. I've driven both. Wing drivers want as much wing as possible, that's why they run wings. How many times can you say wing? Lol. If you want less wings quit attending them and go to Indiana for real sprint car racing!

    If the whole field had 4'x5' wings, wouldn't Dietrich and Stewart have done just as well, but saved some wear and tear on their engines/drivetrains.  Perhaps you're right that in areas that are over-run with sprint cars this doesn't make as much sense.  As long as your area has an overabundance of car owners willing to put up the cash, then yes, there is no reason to change.

    Well, what I really want is more sprint cars racing.  The current plan of unlimited spending seems to be working at cross purposes top that idea.

     You've driven both, so give me some insight please.  Of course the driver want more wing.  They want more tire, more horsepower and less weight as well.

      In your opion, would the driver and set-up matter more with less downforce?  Would the same people win with less downforce?  Would engine and drivetrain costs go down with less downforce?  Do you agree that wing and nonwing sprint cars have morphed into two different categories of cars and, for the most part, two different kinds of fans?