The study of circle track technology involves knowing about the three distinctly different aspects that mostly influenced the performance of the cars in this sport. These aspects are the all-important chassis and overall design of the cars, the powertrain technology, and the evolution of power. The characteristics of the racetracks themselves are equally as important.
Each of these three areas of circle track technology has evolved since the very beginning of circle track racing. Chassis and setup technology became very sophisticated as we plunged into the computer age. Developments came as a result of research by the space program and aircraft industry. These developments enabled race car parts manufacturers to build stronger and lighter components.
The engines that power stock cars have evolved, not in the basic design of being simple heat exchange devices, but from the standpoint of improved ignition systems, intake designs, carburetion, and exhaust systems. Improved valvetrain components have allowed these engines to live at much higher rpm than ever before.
The early history of circle...
The early history of circle track racing included this beauty. Beverly Hills Raceway was built of wood at a cost of $500,000 in 1920 on the site of the now well-known Beverly Hills-Wilshire Hotel. It was almost the length of Lowe's Motor Speedway and drew huge crowds. (Photo courtesy of Chuck Groninga--Red Lion Racing)
With the improvements in chassis and engine design came a transition in track design. The asphalt tracks are now designed by computer modeling before the subgrade is shaped and the first yard of asphalt is laid down. Even the dirt tracks are groomed better, thanks to the availability of more sophisticated equipment and techniques that have developed over the years.
Many of us assume that circle track racing began in the post-World War II era from 1947 on. As thousands of soldiers returned from the European and Pacific theaters, many were trained and skilled land vehicle and aircraft mechanics, drawing their experience from keeping the machines of war operational. They had been forced into early adulthood, and knuckled down to do their duty. They were now ready to take on the responsibility of raising a family, but also in need of recapturing some of their lost youth. Racing was the perfect medium for many to achieve that goal.
While the post-WWII period certainly marked the beginning of the rapid growth and mass popularity of the sport, its debut on a national level came much earlier in our history.
The earliest circle track races took place decades earlier and attracted much public interest. Here are some facts that most modern-day circle track racers, including myself, were not aware of.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, opened in 1909, was the first great speedway ever built. In the 1910s and 1920s, many other large racetracks were constructed. While the Indy track was surfaced with brick (originally of rock and asphalt), another surface was utilized that now seems quite odd--wooden boards.
During the period between 1911 and 1928, many wooden racetracks sprang up around the country with relatively huge crowds attending the races. The majority of the tracks were built by the Prince Speedway Company. At the time, the material and equipment was not available to construct these speedways out of a more durable material. Asphalt paving was known and had been around in some form or another for thousands of years, but as with brick paving, it was hard to come by and very expensive.
Iowa's Des Moines Speedway, which was built entirely of wood, was typical of the tracks of this era. These were no "short" tracks since circuits were 1.25 to 2.0 miles in length, therefore a considerable amount of lumber was needed. Wood, at that time, was cheap, plentiful, and could be easily assembled and shaped into a smooth surface with elevated turns.
Wood is not a durable material, especially when exposed to the weather. Few of these tracks lasted for more than a couple of years and none more than five. One vacated track disappeared in less than two years, thanks to people stealing wood for heating and building material.
The eight-cylinder flathead...
The eight-cylinder flathead Ford engine, introduced in 1932 as a Ford powerplant, was the forerunner to the popular V-8 overhead valve engines that represent the primary powerplants for stock car racing in America. (Photo courtesy of Klassix Auto Attraction)
In 1911, the first of the wood tracks was constructed. Oakland Motordrome was 1/2-mile in length and had 40 degrees of banking in the turns. It was a perfect circle, the first true handling track, designed after the popular velodrome bicycle racetracks.
Other notable board tracks included an oval track built in 1926 in Miami Beach that was 1.25 miles long with 50-degree banking. The top speed was an astonishing 142.93 mph. The track was destroyed by a massive hurricane that struck that same year, so only one race was ever run there.
Several wood tracks were built in California. The first race at San Carlos, aka the Greater San Francisco Speedway, drew 40,000 fans in 1921. The Beverly Hills Speedway cost $500,000 to build in 1929 and lasted less than five years. The Beverly Hills-Wilshire Hotel stands on the site today.
Other Wood Tracks Around the Country
If you think that the recently built Chicagoland Speedway was the first oval for that city, it is not. In 1916, a 2-mile wood track was constructed with 17-degree turns and some 85,000 fans attended its first race. By 1918, it was gone. Its demise was probably hastened by the fact that the promoters ran off with the purse during a rain delay at the very first race.
Today's Lowe's Motor Speedway, as it is now called, is also not a first for Charlotte, North Carolina. The Charlotte Speedway was built in 1924 of wood and was 1.25 miles in length and banked 40 degrees.
The Chrysler Hemi head engine...
The Chrysler Hemi head engine with its twin carbs was used in the mid-'60s to power the Grand National stock cars to many wins.
Atlantic City Speedway (1926-1928) was 1.5 miles long with 45-degree turns. It was the fastest of the wood tracks with a top speed recorded at 147.727 mph.
Other states that had wooden tracks included Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington.
The engines of the future...
The engines of the future might be fuel-injected, overhead cam engines already in production. (Photos courtesy of Klassix Auto Attraction)
Those who have knowledge of those days say this racing had certain uncommon hazards. It was not unusual for a driver to spend some time after a race picking splinters out of his face. Pieces of wood would be ripped from the surface, fly up, and imbed themselves in the driver's exposed skin. At speeds that exceeded 140 mph at these races, it is easy to understand how that could happen.
The payouts were substantial. For a typical 150-mile race, the winner was paid $3,000, equal to some $52,000 in today's money, while second received $26,000, and third $13,000 in equivalent money. The average American earned maybe $500 - $750 a year in those days, so this was very good money.
The cars themselves were a far cry from what we would come to expect in a circle track car. Straight axle front ends with wire spoke wheels were no good for making high-speed turns. The high banking was essential. All of the forces on the cars were downforce with very little lateral force, which the wheels and suspensions could not tolerate. When a wheel did break, it was catastrophic.
There were a number of deaths associated with this period. Drivers as well as spectators perished in racing incidents. A political cartoon was placed in the newspaper following a big race in which a death occurred. The cartoon showed gladiators carrying a fallen comrade out of a stadium, a reference to circle track racing as a type of "blood sport."