Conference terri::cars_uk

729.0. "US Racing, pre-WWII" by CSSE::WAITE () Wed Aug 16 1989 23:15

In response to a question about dirt track racing in the US etc.

What follows is some random facts and thoughts about racing and motoring
in the US before WWII. I can't vouch for the accuracy as it's all from
memory. Also I've probably left out a lot .



Prior to WWII, racing in the US was pretty much divided between two
categories: oval tracks (dirt, board, paved) and speed runs. There
were a few, very few, 'road race' type events but not at all like what
was happening in the UK and Europe at the time.

Oval tracks varied in size (and shape too; they weren't all oval). Some were
very short (1/4 mile and some even smaller I think). Others like Indianapolis
are quite long.

Dirt:

The very earliest tracks were dirt. Even today there are still dirt track
courses around and in fact there has been a revival of dirt track racing
recently. All sorts of cars were raced in the old days. Some purpose built
but most converted from standard cars. Model T and Model A Fords were the
most popular in the 1920's, and later the Ford V8 cars. There was a thriving
industry of after market goodies that you could buy; overhead valve and
overhead camshaft conversions, special chassis, special bodies etc. I'm not
sure what the rules were, if indeed there were any, but after a while more
professional built cars became the norm and they evolved to what you are
probably used to seeing labeled as a dirt track car....single seat, very upright
seating, nerf bars front and rear, small front wheels, large rear wheels with
knobby tread, solid axle suspension front and rear etc. Motive power varied
but some of the bigger names were Ford (of course), Offy (if you had lots
of money) and even Riley.

(an aside) Miller/Offy engines were made in a variety of sizes so they often
showed up in cars used for different types of racing.

The most interesting part of dirt track racing (to me anyway) is that the
cars are almost always going sideways, at a 90 degree angle to the inside
of the track, with great rooster tails of dirt spraying up from the spinning
rear wheels. By the way, there is no shifting of gears with these cars, just
on speed, fast!

Wood:

Board tracks were a short lived type of course, steeply banked, made out of
thick, heavy wooded board laid on edge. They provided a very fast and very
dangerous surface. Since the surface was so fast, only purpose build race
cars were competitive. Miller was king. 

All of the tracks were gone by WWII I believe. There were some terrible
accidents due to speed, loose boards, oily surface etc. Some of the tracks
burned.

Pavement:

I believe Indianapolis was the first track to be paved but I wouldn't swear
to that. The first races at Indy were on dirt, but after only a few years
the track was bricked. (hence 'the old brick' yard and the small remaining
section at the start/finish line) I believe this was in the late teens or
early 1920's. I don't know when the bricks were replaced with tarmac. Other
tracks around the country followed the same pattern; first dirt, then
pavement. The very first Indy type cars were just ordinary stock cars with
bits removed. In the 1920's, Dusenberg and Miller started to build racing
engines which found there way into first their own cars and then others
as well. There was also a semi-stock formula in the 1930's and several
manufacturers entered race cars with more or less production based engines.
Ford and Studebaker both backed this effort. (A man I know owns two
Studebaker Indy cars; one from 1932 which finished 3rd or 4th and another
from 1935/36 that finished in the top 10...both cars are 2 seaters, riding
mechanics still being allowed(required?) then...these cars are restored and
he competes with them in some low key historic racing events) This semi-stock 
class died out with the advent of WWII.

Cars:

Midgets, 1/4 Midgets, Sprint Cars, Roadsters, Championship Cars

I'm on shaky ground here so don't take all this for gospel.

Midgets and 1/4 Midgets are basically the same except for size. They look
like dirt track cars and actually evolved from them. More to a strict formula.
I don't know when they came into vogue and they may actually post date WWII.
Sprint cars are basically dirt track cars as well, and in fact I think they
are really the same thing with some modifications allowed for the surface.
(ie: pavement instead of dirt) (another aside: many years ago I had a chance
to drive one of these creations: it was Model A Ford based with a much modified
engine etc. ....it went like a rocket, was impossible to control, had only
rear brakes...terrifying). Roadsters were a style if Indy car that lasted until
the rear engine invasion from the UK. I'm not sure that they were called that
before WWII. Championship cars are just Indy cars with some modifications
to allow them to race on other tracks. (Indy cars are normally built to only
run one race!)


Speed runs:

High speed record runs were basically of two types: straight line for a 
measured distance and track runs for a time period. Probably not much different
than overseas. Drag racing was not a popular sport before WWII. In fact I 
can't recall any references to it in those days.

Straight line racing dates from the earliest days with many events held on
Florida beaches; Ormond and Daytona. Usually cars ran in two directions with
the average being the recorded speed. Many of these very early cars were
purpose build and all sorts of novel ideas were tried. Until they gave it up
as too dangerous, the Stanley brothers were the folks to beat. Around 1907,
a Stanley record car hit over 190mph on the beach before it hit a bad spot on 
the sand and crashed. It was a long time before 'conventional' cars went that
fast.

Another area of straight line racing was the dry lake beds in southern 
California. This was mostly a 'hot rod' happening and the advent of the Ford 
V8, many specialists making speed equipment etc. gave it great impetus. It
was very much a 'try it and see' operation. Someone would come up with an
idea, take their car out to the lakes on Sunday...if he won, on Monday he
was in the speed parts business. This movement really took off after the
war but it began in the 1930's.

Record runs were mostly done by manufactures to foster the sale of their
products. Most often it was more for reliability than speed. One very early
run was in California in about 1932/33 where local Ford dealers sponsored
a weeks non-stop reliability run around a closed loop of public roads. I
forget how long the drive was (and it may have not been a week) but the
cars were run non-stop (ie: the engines weren't turned off) with only fuel,
water, and oil added, and driver changes. The results were made into big
ad campaigns, hopefully selling lots of Fords. Other companies did similar
things.

There were 'official' distance record runs, conducted by various automobile
organizations. These were usually run on oval circuits.

Final aside. Motoring in the US before WWII was very much a local affair.
There was no interstate highway system as we know it today. There were a
few turnpikes (Pennsylvania, Merrit Parkway) but for the most part roads
were two lane and slow. In the mid-west and west many roads were not paved.
Long distance travel was by train, not car. As a result cross country trips
were a real adventure by car.

In 1927 my father and two friends drove from Mass. to Cal. and back. They had a
specific time table to meet (mainly because of work constraints) and the trip
was of significant enough local interest that they were sponsored by a local
Chrysler dealer. He supplied the car, a used 1925 touring car, and I think extra
tires and other spares. My father kept a detailed journal as well as photo album
(he developed the film on route in a tent) which makes fascinating reading.
(There were still relatively un-tamed Indians in the west in those days and all
'the boys' were armed, just in case.) One of the more bizarre aspects of the
trip was that my father did not know how to drive! He learned on route! 

Latest acquisition.

In the FWIW department, I recently added a Model A Ford based sprint/dirt track
car to my ever expanding stable of inoperable cars. I was a little vague in
an earlier note about what makes up one of these cars....so now that I have one
'at hand' as it were I can speak with a little more authority. The car is 
supposed to be a 1931 creation but I can't be sure. These cars were almost
always home made, of bits and pieces found in the barn or local garage. They
tried various combinations of components, updating as they went along. My car
was supposedly put together in 1931, raced at the dirt tracks in upstate
New York until 1940. The owner died in 1940 and the car was in his widows barn
until 1990! 

Chassis/frame:

Little bit of a mystery here. I *thought* it was Model A Ford but have been told
be others that  the rear kick-up is not characteristic of Ford. So either it's
been modified or it's from some other car.

Suspension:

Front axle is Model T Ford, shocks are 'Hartford' adjustable lever type, hubs
are Cheverolet and the wheels are 16 inch wire (not sure of make). The wishbones
have been split and shortened and attach to the frame about 1/3 back, more or 
less under the engine.

Rear suspension is Model A Ford. There are no shocks currently but there were
at some point as the mounting holes are there etc. Like the front, the wishbones
have been split and shortened and attach to the frame about midway along. The
wheels are 17 inch wire, Ford 1932 I believe.

Brakes:

Rear wheel only, mechanical, operated by a big lever located outside on the left
of the cockpit.

Tires:

The tires still hold air after more than 50 years. The rear two have been 'cut'
with a knife/saw to increase traction on the dirt. Really adds an authentic look
to the car.

Steering:

Franklin center type (not sure if it is actually from a Franklin car or not). 

Engine/Transmission:

Model A Ford, stock as far as I can tell. These engines are 200 cubic inch 
4-cylinders, putting our 40hp stock. Many race versions that I've seen use high
compression heads, multiple carbs, hot cams, counter balanced crankshafts, OHV 
and/or OHC conversions. HP can reliably be doubled and the more exotic engines 
can get well over 100 hp, although they tend to be temperamental. Given that the
whole car weighs less than 1500 lbs and has two wheel brakes, the stock engine 
should be enough! As far as I can tell the transmission is standard Model A 
Ford; 3 speed, non-syncromesh.

Fuel system:

Gravity feed from tank located under the cowl (and over the drivers lap!).
There is an external pressure pump located on the left side of the body. I've
been told that this set up is an early one as later cars had the tank located
behind the driver (for safety reasons, I assume, and better weight distribution)

Body:

Single seat, open cockpit type. Body is made galvanized steel. On the inside of
the hood (bonnet) you can see old feed bin markings!

With the help of a Model A knowledgeable friend, I got the car running one night
recently and amidst the sparks, smoke and leaking radiator, drove it around the
field next to my house in the dark. Terrific! 

I just recently started to take the car apart. I hope to restore it just enough
to use it safely (?) but not destroy the patina of age.