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

When I was a kid in the 70s, sprint car drivers were big, strong guys with a lot of upper body muscles. I just watched the interview with tonight's WoO winner Brady Bacon. The guy doing the interview looked to be about a foot taller than Brady. I googled it. Brady is 5'-6" tall. Is that where we're at, that sprint car racers are all little guys now?

Danny Dietrich would like a word... 

But yea I'd agree mostly, short guys seem to be more common. As a taller and heavier guy myself I feel like we learnt early on in our Motorsport careers (karts) that we were at a disadvantage due to our size and pursued other sports like football or something. Whilst the smaller kids weren't as great at physical sport and stuck to racing. 

I believe the call Austin McCarl "The Big Unit" for a reason?   

Chase Raudman is 6'5, he's going to tower over everyone. 

It's kinda been this way for quite some time now.  Yes, there are occassionally bigger drivers, but most are much smaller.  I never really questioned it.  I just assumed more movable weight, and the fitness regimen has changed so much, that even the taller drivers are in better shape and look smaller.  I laugh when I hear that these drivers today aren't as tough as the drivers were 30 years ago.  Maybe they couldn't win a fist fight, but when it comes to conditioning, I'll take today's driver 100 times over the guys from the old days. 

(and before anyone gets stupid, I don't mean I'd take someone like Jacob Allen over Steve Kinser----I'm talking overall) 

Yeah, Today's drivers are smaller and maybe more fit looking, but there is no way some of these twig boys could gut it out with the old heros and the old cars.

Kinser is and was NO SMALL GUY and not much at quick times, but knew how to get the job done.  Lets take Lason for example at 130 lbs.  He wins everything he climbs into and takes advantage of the horsepower to weight ratio as it's definately an advantage for him...

Ascot was the greatest of all time..

West Capital wasn't half bad either..

Life is good...

Sammy started in the 70s didn't he?   Overall I know what you're getting at though.   

Before the advent of power steering, a driver had to have a lot of upper body strength to manhandle a sprint car for 25 laps.

I remember when there was first talk about minimum weight for sprint cars. I think it was Joey Saldana that was concerned that he would be losing the 100# weight advantage his team had over Kinser, who was currently kicking their butts.

Anybody ever see a big jockey?

Horsepower/ weight ratio....

Wouldn't that be like a 1 horsepower / 90# weight ratio?  

Dick Gaines was a big guy,  Probably 250 or more, his shoulders stuck out of the cage and his sideburns below his helmet.  That said, there were also kinda scrawny guys.  Like Butch Wilkerson.    Sheldon Kinser was very tall but not heavy.  Bob Kinser was never skinny when I seen him but whooped tails until he retired.

Some today are opposite of what they started as.  Brad Sweet was scrawny,  So was Jeff Gordon,  Larson was a toothpick,.  But they worked out and got bulkier.  Not fat,  Just Stalky.

Two big differences.  60's 70's most had day jobs and raced weekends.  Beer drinkers all.   Most of em didn't start racing till they were late teens.   today they grow up in a racecar and the dicipline in diet is evident.

Does Larson have a weight advantage? Being 50 lbs lighter as a driver requires the car to be 50 lbs heavier doesn't it?  Only advantage is they can put that weight were they want it. 

Even though I may not know you, I 
care what most of you think!

So the reason larson kicks everyone's ass is because he weighs 130 lbs. Hmmmm, ok.

So what you are telling us, Murphy, is that the long and the short of it is that size doesn't really matter.   

I have the 5'6" nailed but I ain't doing so good with the 130# part.  Probably 70's isn't a good time to start anyways.

Stan Meissner

It definitely seems that being small is a big advantage in today's sprint car racing. The overwhelming majority of today's top drivers, especially in the WOO, are little guys.

A

There's probably a few other factors involved.

Dale Blaney was a tall driver and Danny Lasoski was the shorter stalkier type and both could win. At one time they held the 1200# Nationals  in Knoxville to adress the 1000# light weight cars. All weighing 1425# is fairest. The advent of power steering and we also have much safer cars to help injuries as theres no question the seats have saved lives. The days of driving with a bandana and short sleeves with a rope for seat belt are long forgotten.