Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire The Evolution From Stock Cars to Race Cars

I can remember stories of guys cutting holes in the floorboards and rigging up a timing light to check tire ware! Race fans were sometimes known to pull tires offa their own cars and loan them to their favorite drivers!
Stock Cars were still stock cars when I first started following NASCAR.
But in the mid 90s they got away from their long time fans in search of bigger money markets. I had pretty much give it up, but with Dodge coming back, I started watching again in 01.
But when Dale died, I pulled the plug.

I saw this on YouTube and it looked interesting. I thought some other older guys like me would like to see it as well.
But I have no plans of watching woke nascar unless they go Back to Wilkesborough and the other small tracks, and allowing Confederate Battle Flags and Gun Makers on the cars!
Image stealing a date from Darlington to give to Chicago!
Reon

Not sure I can accept the, up to 1966 was Gen 1 & ya just went to a dealer, bought a car & raced it. Read too much to know that cars were super tweaked long before that. Add the fact that auto manufacturers were producing & furnishing parts and such to racers that were not available to the general public.

NASCAR might want to categorize it that way, & it's their vid. But the true motorhead knows better.

Thanks for the vid though, it did get the memories flowing.

Excellent video. I'm not much of an auto racing fan but I found the video to be very interesting. Thanks for posting it.

I lost interest in NASCAR when the France family exterminated the 351 Cleveland after the Elliot brothers reign-of-terror in the 1980's

I think up until the early to mid 80s they were still useing stock factory metal around a tubular racing frame. Same way we built street stock cars for dirt.
The Chevy Lumina was front wheel drive, and I figure that’s the time when everyone went to making their own sheet metal. Tha car makers were still giving factory support to many teams at that time.
That’s why I was excited to see Dodge going racing again!
“What wins on Sunday sells on Monday!”
Fearsome Fords, Mighty Mopars and Chevy Super Sports are all
3 very good books about the heydays of both NASCAR and NHRA competition in the 50s, 60s, and 70s.
Great books to have if you’re a car guy or a race fan!
Reon

My favorite fascinations are the cheat factors, some really creative characters. I think Leonard Wood was the best of the era that I watched/followed.

I really wasn’t much for Chevy drivers, but I always loved Ernie Irvan. He was always headed for the front. You loved Davey Allison. When he was killed, we were in the garage. I was working on my Race Car, and the conversation turned to Ernie taking over the 28.
Gue got a little whizzed off when I told him “If Ernie slides his nuts across the door of that 28, you’ll forget all about Davey Allison”!

I hated to see him hang up his helmet, but I’m glad he’s doing good and spending time with his family.
Reon

I gave up on NASCAR when they went with the "Car of Tomorrow" or some [bleep] like that.

I loved the era of the Superbird, the Dodge Charger Daytona, and the Ford Torino Talladega.

Smokey Yunick, Junior Johnson, Harry Hide, and Tim Brewer are sure up there too.
Back when some people got sanctions and some got side eye.

I agree with you 100%!!! My buddies and I went to the last race in Wilkesboro. That was our last race. Up to that point, we went to at least one race per year. We camped and went to the Saturday and Sunday races. We loved the sport and really felt like we were part of the event. They haven’t seen us since. It is sad that it is over. I have never seen an organization try so hard to destroy itself.

Was lucky enough to meet Chestet Honeycutt David Bonnett(Neil's son.) And learned a lot of that generation of drivers in no particular order it was held that Petty was always pushed by Pearson to be better. Met Ernie Elliott shortly after that 351 was outlawed and let's just say the France family weren't on his Christmas card list. Not being mechanical I'll never understand why a basic simple car that some Goober like me could work on will never be made in this country ever again.

Ive been to 1 race…

Atlanta. Maybe 2005 or 06.

Watched the friday truck race, saturday busch race. Sunday sprint or nextel or whatever it was called got rained out.

Had to return to work. Think they raced monday.

Had a buddy that lived near the track.

Like down a dirt from it….. came in from behind the private racetrack airfield…

😁😁

Enjoyed the videos. I have met both Davey Allison and Ernie Irvan back in the day. Nice fellas, great race car drivers.

I really begin to follow NASCAR when Bill Elliott was racing. After he left, I quit.

I ate it up as a kid, especially the history of NASCAR. You couldn't pay me to watch a race today. Joe Weatherly was the champion in '62, and '63. He was the odds on favorite to win again in' 64 when his head hit the wall at Riverside.

Joe and Curtis Turner were both pilots and they were really good friends.
Stories of the two of them landing on a Main Street of a town in order to go to the liquor store. They’d actually play “tag” with their planes!😀

I have never been interested in NASCAR except for the history of it.

I was stationed in Eastern NC when Dale Sr. died in Daytona. I have never seen the public react in a way as that event. People in NC absolutely LOVED that guy. Grown men were crying everywhere. Lawn memorials were put up everywhere. Never seen anything like it or have since. The guy was almost God like.

I'm a big NASCAR fan. I record and watch, not only the Cup races, but Xfinity, Trucks, and ARCA as well. The racing is great and I love the engineering and technology that's involved with it. Like with most pro sports, you have to keep up with it. The people, teams, cars, points system, and rule book are completely different from what it was just 10 years ago. You guys that quit watching 10, 20, 30, or even 40 years ago, might want to revisit it. I think you're missing out on some pretty good entertainment. However, you'll need to reintroduce yourself to it.

As far as the cars go, they may have been true stock cars from the conception, but those guys modified them from the get go. Just because they were on a stock frame with stock sheet metal, doesn't mean that they were stock. The first guys to race cars were a lot of moonshiners and their cars were anything but stock. Technology changes with everything we touch in life, so goes NASCAR. It's not 1975 anymore and the rotary telephone is dead. Just like every sport, people get old and leave the sport and younger generations take their place. Everything changes and sometimes you need to view it with an open mind.

7mm and Wilkeshunter, good morning. Just to let you know, they renovated and reopened N. Wilkesboro a couple of years ago. Dale Jr., the Smith family, and a whole host of people with money got it back open to Modifieds and Late Models. Dale Jr. had it scanned for I-Racing. However, it wasn't suitable for NASCAR and they came in and upgraded it. The original idea was to repave it also, but after looking at the pavement, they decided not to for the first race. They held last years All Star Race there. It was a fun race to watch. They're going to repave it this year if they haven't already done so and the All Star race will be back this year.

Had 2 talladega spring and fall camper spots sxs for 15yrs or so. Leave on Fri, come back Mon. Loved everything about. Spent some great time there with my boys and in-laws. Haven’t been back in 10 or so years and won’t. Sport has been totally bastardized vs what it used to be. Still usually watch Daytona and Dega but they won’t get anymore of my $.