The cars, all 69 of them,...
The cars, all 69 of them, were staged on the frontstrech.
What does a low-cost, local-style Street Stock race car and a superspeedway have in common? Nothing, until now.
Everything changed with the Frank Kimmel Enduro Nationals on Memorial Day weekend at 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway. It was obviously the first race of its kind, and frankly, it was something to behold.
There were 69 Street Stockers, with varying engine performance, wheeled by drivers with varying levels of experience. Granted, the speeds were far short of those reached by the NASCAR Busch Series cars that race at the track, but it was an event that certainly caught the interest of the fans and race teams.
What also caught the interest of these low-budget racers was the $10,000-to-win prize and the $3,500 for second-figures generally not associated with Street Stock events.
The IdeaFrank Kimmel, the eight-time ARCA champion, explains his inspiration for the event: "It was an idea that came into my mind a while back when I was driving down the road. I thought about all the good low-budget stock car guys who would never have the thrill of driving on the high banks at a place like Kentucky Speedway. I was really surprised at the level of interest once the word got out.
"I'll admit that I borrowed a few ideas from the Halloween 100 event at the half-mile Salem (Indiana) Speedway, where a lot of cars ran in that event."
Kimmel says the idea evolved into an Enduro-type concept, where a large number of cars could compete in a 150-mile event. "I eventually thought it would be neat if several hundred cars could compete, but that didn't happen," says Kimmel.
Three-wide action was not...
Three-wide action was not unusual.
The idea continued to evolve, and Kentucky Speedway's PR director, Tim Bray, quickly grabbed the idea and submitted it to track officials. "As far as I can tell," Bray says, "this is the first time such an undertaking has ever taken place on a superspeedway."
The planning started back in 2006, and there was some initial concern about the event, with safety the primary consideration.
"At a mile-and-one-half track, these cars would be running faster than they ever had before," says Bray. "With that in mind, the decision was made to intensely tech the cars, making sure they could handle the strain."
Pre-Race TestingTeams were allowed to test at Kentucky Speedway several times before the race. It provided a chance for race officials to examine the cars and check their performance on the racetrack. They were particularly concerned with the dates on the seatbelts and the way the belts were mounted. Technical assistance was provided on site to aid in the proper installation of the belts and check the seat mountings.
In order to keep the speeds at an acceptable level, a wicker bill was attached to the roof of the cars. C-Line, the fabricator of the device, was also on hand to aid in placing the wicker bill on the cars.
Tech RulesKimmel says the rules were flexible so as to allow Street Stocks from many local tracks to compete.
First, the required cast-iron engines were limited to 410 ci and topped with a 500-cfm two-barrel carburetor. As it finally worked out, a majority of the cars were powered with 350 small-blocks. Then, in an interesting touch, an automatic transmission with factory gearing and a functioning OEM torque converter was required. Many teams used Powerglide units.
Rules mandated a 3,200-pound post-race weight, with driver, but with an additional 100 pounds if aluminum rocker arms were used.
Kimmel made it very clear that the automatic transmission rule would be enforced. He reminded the teams in the drivers' meeting that when the race was over, the first three finishing cars would be driven around the track to ensure that they had automatic transmissions.
Roof-mounted wicker bills...
Roof-mounted wicker bills were added to slow the cars on the 1.5-mile track.
Also, a 2.75 rearend ratio for Fords and 2.73 for GM's and Chryslers was specified. The maximum size of the fuel cell (only gasoline allowed) was 22 gallons.
Getting back to that strange-looking wicker bill, it took considerable testing to determine the device's optimum size. There were varied opinions, some positive and some negative. One driver suggested doing away with the unit and installing a restrictor plate in the engine.
"We wanted to keep the lap times no faster than about 41 seconds," says Kimmel. The wicker bill was placed on the roof of the car so that the driver's rear vision would not be obstructed.