MAY 17, 2008 (SATURDAY) POINT RACE #7 360 Sprints - Pro Stocks Pure Stocks - Dwarf Cars Pits Open: Gates Open: Qualifying: 3:30pm 5:00pm 6:30pm Racing to Follow Qualifying Ticket Information Adults: Jr's/Sr's: Children: $15.00 $10.00 $4.00 $12.00 $10.00 $5.00 Seasons: |'07|'06|'05|'04| |'03|'02|'01|'00| |'99| Registration Rules 360 Sprints Pro Stocks Pure Stocks Wingless Sprints Points System History Track Records Former Champions Cars Location Personnel Silver Dollar Speedway Placerville Speedway California Sprint Car Civil War Series Golden State Challenge - King of California Series GOLD CUP Race of Champions HELP MENU Site Map Contact Us Search the Site Sponsor Index

Racing 101 - The Cars

Sprint Cars
Sprint Cars are the most powerful machines on Dirt. But as much as they are powerful, they are simple. There is no dead weight on the car. If a part doesn't contribute to the car's performance, it is left off. The suspension consists of a live axle up front, and torsion bars for springs.

The chassis is a minimal tube frame with a short 84-inch wheelbase. The strongest and most expensive tubing is used in the roll cage for safety & weight savings. Their geometric chassis designs flex & work with the suspension but also are designed to withstand the most ferocious crashes.

A V8 engine, fueled by methanol, no starter motor, and the battery is only large enough to power the ignition system for the evening. Chevy is the most common motor but Ford & Mopar engines can be found in many pits. The price of competitive power is between $10,000 - $25,000. These engines are based on production cast-iron blocks and heads.

Two huge floppy rear tires of different sizes couple the irresistible force to the soft clay below. Soft sidewalls allow them to flex & roll over on the clay to apply the most horsepower to the ground.

The driver sits atop the rear axle, his legs straddling the driveshaft. It's connected to a quick-change rear axle by a coupler called an "in-out box".

The large wings create "downforce" to help the car stick to the track. The large end plates also act like the feathers on a dart, helping the car stay pointed in the right direction and keeping it from getting too far sideways. It also cushions the blow when a car gets upside down. Wings have greatly increased safety in open wheel racing.

A Sprint Car has the highest power-to-weight ratio on dirt, spending most of its time broadsliding around the corners, wheelstanding on the straights, and throwing clay high into the air, while the driver wrestles hard with the steering wheel, trying to control it. This is why some people describe a sprint car race as a "Motorized Rodeo".

Pro Stocks
The Pro Stocks can be best described as a Street Stock on steroids. These older production model machines produce monster power, and the wide tires put it to the ground. When the Placerville Pro Stocks break away from home for the open shows you can usually find them up front of the other stock cars from Northern California, due to the awesome door to door racing you get to see every Saturday night here at Placerville. The Pro Stocks come close to producing the same speed and performance as the Late Model Stock Cars that used to run here, but at a fraction of the cost. This explains why they have become such a fan favorite. And these drivers are not afraid to swap a little paint with these full bodied machines.

Pure Stocks
Pure Stocks are the "offspring" of the old bombers that prevailed in California throughout the early years of racing. It was designed to be an affordable, completely stock, entry level division that anybody could run. It evolved into the enduro car and now the Pure Stock.

Though today's car may be more sophisticated, the competition is still fierce and often times bizarre. Local involvement is tremendous in this division, but the drivers will come from all over Northern California. If you are one of those fans that has always wanted to race a car but didn't want to spend a lot of money to do it, this is the racing division for you. Make sure you have a good body & fender man or a big sledge hammer.