For many, including even the most knowledgeable auto racing fan, the term supermodified, is still somewhat of a mystery. Although the class has been around for over 50 years, the still a distinctive and uncommon breed in the world of short track auto racing. The supermodified as we know it today is plainly like no other race car you will find, but once you witness a supermodified race, you will be hooked and will find yourself going to great lengths to seek out auto racing’s best kept secret.
To understand why a Supermodified is a racecar that has no short track equal, all one needs to do is realize that this open wheel racecar is very lightweight and produces copious amounts of gut-wrenching torque and horsepower. They are rare and exotic. No two are alike, the rules governing them are few and their fans as knowledgeable as the drivers are brave. Over the years the supers have been a proving ground for up and coming open wheel racers that moved on to make it big at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. While the birth and evolution of the supermodified is claimed by several different regions of the United States, it is generally accepted that tracks like Jackson Motor Speedway and the Grand Rapids Speedrome in Michigan, as well as The Pines Speedway in Massachusets, and to some degree Meridian Speedway in Idaho, is where it really all began in the late 1950s to early 1960s. Originally evolving from modified coupes, the supermodified became a hot bed of innovation with car builders going to extremes to save weight and increase speed, including using old roadsters from Indianapolis, building rear engine four drive cars, and were always at the forefront of innovation for short track racing.
In the early days there were really no rules to speak of and you could see variations of the theme galore. In time, Oswego Speedway in Upstate New York became known as the “Home of the Supermodifieds” and whereas the supers were a common form of competition across the country through the 1980s, Oswego is now the only track that runs them exclusively and on a nearly weekly basis.
A supermodified is built around a 1½” tubular steel chrome-moly chassis with about one inch of ground clearance. The wheelbase is generally 95”-101”. Most teams still bend and weld their own chassis and there are very view ‘store bought’ parts on any supermodified. When a part is needed, whether for the chassis, suspension or cockpit, it is most generally machined by hand in the owners garage.
It has a minimal fiberglass and/or aluminum body for a total weight of approximately 1850 lbs(for cars East of the Mississippi). Put that together with a methanol fuel injected 468cu in. big block Chevy engine that produces 800+ horsepower, (based on International SuperModified Association, Midwest Supermodified Association and Oswego Speedway rules), and what you have created is one the fastest short track, (paved ovals 1 mile in length or shorter), racecars in the world.
One of the unique features of this class is that the engine, as well as the driveline and rear end, is offset to the left side of the actual center of the car. Moving all of these parts to the left of center adds up to nearly 70% of tire sticking left side weight bias. What this means is that the supers are able to go through an oval track’s corners faster than most circle track cars because the left side weight actually helps to pull the car down into the corner.
These cars also have no transmission or starter which helps to save weight. They run by direct drive through an “in & out box” and a “quick change” rear end and need a push start. That means all the power from the engine goes straight to the rear wheels and guarantees that the one forward speed the supers have is FAST!
Supers also use different size tires, they have an 18″ right rear, 14″ left rear, 13″ right front, 12″ left front. These tire sizes improve grip and cornering speed and lead to a condition in oval track racing called “stagger”, where the right side tires are larger in diameter than the left side tires and helps the car turn into the corners. To understand stagger take a simple Styrofoam cup and lay it on its side with the bottom end pointed to the left. Now push the cup along the table and notice how it tends to roll toward the left because the diameter of the bottom, (or left side), of the cup is smaller than the diameter of the top, (or right side), of the cup. Now imagine a race car that is constantly turning left and you can see why stagger helps to increase lap times and cornering speeds.
On top of this massive powerhouse of engineering genius lies a very important feature, the wing. The wing can be fixed or pneumatically actuated and produces approximately 2200lbs of down force that allows better grip, handling, and extremely fast speeds. With the pneumatically actuated wing, air on the high speed straight portion of the oval tracks rushes over the top of the wing. This air pushes the wing down onto pneumatic struts that are attached to the chassis or directly to the rear suspension of the car. In addition to creating down force, the wing “leveling out” actually lessens drag and makes for higher speeds. As the car enters the turns, where there is less speed and aerodynamic drag the wing rises back up and catches more air to create higher down force where it is needed most. The wings are not cockpit adjustable.
The results of all this technology give the winged supermodifieds the speed of an Indy car and at some larger tracks the supers actually have faster straightaway speeds than the Indy cars. It’s not uncommon to see a pack of winged supers three and four abreast, darting in and out of traffic and changing lanes in the middle of the turns. On the ¼ mile circle track Star Speedway in Epping, NH, the supermodifieds run times of approximately 11 seconds. On a bigger track such as the high banked 1/2 mile of Toledo, (OH), Speedway, the Supermodifieds run times in the 13.50 second range at an average speed of 130 mph. At some of the larger tracks, speeds reaching up to 170 mph are not unusual, while on the one mile oval at Phoenix, (AZ), International Speedway speeds nearing 190 on the chutes are the norm.
With impressive statistics such as this it isn’t hard to see why the Supermodifieds regularly bring sell-out crowds of people to the tracks they run at. Once a fan sees the supers run once they are hooked on what many call ‘auto racing’s version of rocket science.” This rare, exotic, ground pounding, roadster produces some of the closest, heart stopping, exciting racing around and rightfully lays claim to the title of “The Ultimate Short Track Race Car.”
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