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

Way back in the day, before the Chevy V8 took over in the mid 60s the Offenhauser engine (aka "Offy" ) was the top-line engine for sprint cars, champ cars, and midgets. It was a straight 4 setup of some sort (sorry, don't know the exact details on it). There was also a lot more experimentation back then as to types of engines because most of the cars were homemade so the owners used whatever they could.

Regarding the Silver Crown cars, they do have clutches. The cars are turned over with an external starter (similar to an Indy car, only it's started from the front of the car instead of the rear). Because they're not generally push started, they need the clutch to get going.

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Not that far back Glenn Niebel had a chevy V6 pavement sprinter that was quite successful.. Also the Hoffmans had a Buick V6 sprint than ran usac with several prominent drivers that was also quite successful. Both of these cars were around in the late 80`s early 90`s.

Ben Cook had a chevy V6 winged sprint that ran on dirt against 410`s. It typically wouldnt qualify up front but once they made it too the feature where it was a little drier and slicker it usually went to the front. I believe Steve Siegal was the driver, i couldnt say if it ever won but I sure wouldnt be surprised as fast as he went by me one nite.

Go back a little further in history and you can find numerous engine combinations.

You left out Indy cars, though some champ "dirt" cars ran Indy and the fairgrounds.

In 1935, Miller's former employees, Fred Offenhauser and Leo Goosen, had already achieved their first win with the soon-to-become famous 4-cylinder Offenhauser or "Offy" engine. This motor was forever connected with the Brickyard's history with a to-date record total of 27 wins, in both naturally aspirated and supercharged form, and winning a likewise record-holding 18 consecutive years between 1947 and 1964.

Half the lies they tell about me aren't true. 

Stan Meissner

I have a straight 6 that sat between the rails of the sprint car ..I bought the car back in the 70s ..it is sitting in the back of my shop its a mopar with tons of torque.The car was raced at the old Lakeside speedway in KC. I ran it a handfull of times at Midwest speedway in Lincoln Ne against the v8s. Did some research and the car was a old Pappy Weld car and it now rests along side the motor in the back of the shop,

I was going to go into the history of how Silver Crown cars are what used to be Indy cars until the roadsters came along for pavement racing and then the rear engine revolution, but I thought that might be more than the OP was looking for. I'm a relatively young guy but I used to read some of the history stuff in Open Wheel when I was a kid so I've got a good appreciation for the history of our beloved sport. Thanks for filling in the details on the Offy.

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There was a lot of inovation in the years after the war when Indy opened back up. There some good stuff here about Andy's bad ass Novi. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novi_engine

Half the lies they tell about me aren't true. 

Ok, now I'm officially hijacking the thread...my apologies to the OP.

Seeing that pic of Hurtubise made me wonder - does anyone have an pics of his Mallard that he tried to qualify at Indy near the end of his career? Don't think I've ever seen one (not that I've looked).

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No matter where you go, there you are.

Silver Crown cars back in the day ran a V 8 dual overhead cam Ford motor,if my memory is correct I think A.J Foyt used to run one of those motors in the sixties.

Foyt's 4-cam champ dirt car....

....which is this motor:

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No matter where you go, there you are.

My apologies.

That's Leader Cards' sprint car with a 4-cammer in it.

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No matter where you go, there you are.

I was involved with NARC all thru the 80's. I remember Dwayne Starr trying to run a blower on a 410. It was short lived. It seemed to have major heating problems. About that time Casey Luna came along with a Ford power sprinter. The car went thru many drivers. It became known as "The Penalty Box".

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Love him or hate him, Andy was always a inovator and good for our sport.."The Rocket car, driven by Antonio Granatelli, made the half-mile in 31.30 (seconds). Granatelli fired all the rockets in one big blast but matched the speed of the smaller racers for only about a quarter-lap after he had fired the rockets." – Hutchinson News-Herald....http://winfield.50megs.com/Hutch_Nationals/Fair/15Sep1946.htm

Half the lies they tell about me aren't true. 

Dave Blaney won the 1995 WoO title driving Casey's Ford powered Vivarin #10. Not sure on the Bobby Davis jr. thing..........

SUPPORT WILDLIFE, go to a sprint car race! 

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