{"id":6525,"date":"2016-01-09T16:30:49","date_gmt":"2016-01-09T21:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/suprs.net\/site\/?page_id=6525"},"modified":"2022-09-22T08:58:22","modified_gmt":"2022-09-22T12:58:22","slug":"learn-about-supermodified-race-cars","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/suprs.net\/site\/about\/learn-about-supermodified-race-cars\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn About Supermodified Race Cars"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Get to Know Why a Supermodified Race Car is Unique in Motorsports<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This rare, exotic, ground pounding supermodified race car produces some of the closest, heart stopping racing action around and rightfully lays claim to the title of “The Ultimate Short Track Race Car.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

So just what is a supermodified race car? What makes them so special that those in the know will travel hundreds of miles just to get a glimpse of the increasingly rare beast?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To understand why a supermodified is a race car that has no short track equal, all one needs to do is realize that this open wheel race car is very lightweight, and produces copious amounts of gut-wrenching torque and horsepower. They are rare and exotic beyond imagination. No two are alike, the rules governing them are few and the fans that follow them are as knowledgeable and passionate as the drivers are brave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supermodifieds are Unique<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Nearly all supermodifieds are built by hand in the car owner’s garage using methods as old as the auto industry.  It’s not a simple task using a lathe by hand to ‘turn’ a part that you can’t buy off of the shelf and this is part of the reason there are so few supermodifieds in the entire United States and Canada.  It’s a very tedious and tricky process making those machined parts fit just right on a one-off race car, and it takes a special breed of machinist, and tin man to continue on with this laborious effort. Supermodified owners, builders, drivers, crewmen, and fans tend are those that are artistic, out of the box thinkers that thrive on individualism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 and other professional racing divisions. These cars originally evolved from modified coupes in places as far-flung as Michigan, Idaho, Alabama, and Ohio. The supermodified has stayed true to its moniker-SUPER and MODIFIED, as the last of the true “run whatcha brung” outlaw race cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supermodifieds are Lightweight with Big Engines<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A supermodified is built around  a 1\u00bd” tubular chrome moly steel chassis with about two inches of ground clearance. It has a minimal fiberglass and\/or aluminum body for a total weight of between 1,650 to 1,850 pounds. Put that together with a methanol fuel injected 468cu in. big block or 412cu in. small block engine that produces 800+ horsepower costing upwards of $40,000, and what you have created is a race car that has copious amounts of gut wrenching power, is very little weight, and one the fastest short track, (paved ovals 1 mile in length or shorter), race cars in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supermodifieds Use Off-Set Chassis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Probably the most unique feature of this class is that the engine, as well as the drive line and rear end, is offset to the left side of the real center of the car. Moving 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 can 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the idea came from Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the roadster era,(which, ironically, also provided the supermodified division a lot of cars down thru the years after their racing life was done at the big track), it was taken to extreme measures and perfected by the late Jim Shampine at Oswego Speedway in the early 80s. This offset design is still essentially the backbone of all supermodifieds built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch Jim Shampine Describe His Original Radical Off-Set Supermodified<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n