[LSC9901]

Yes we are all NASCAR fans but did you ever wonder how something is done or why it is done ??? I have a few questions myself that I want answers to even though I have been a fan for a good 30 years. Ask away and see if you can get the answer to that long sought after question.

[Souporscotty]

Why did they stop racing on the beach at Daytona?

[WVGrandma4Kasey]

Originally Posted by Souporscotty

Why did they stop racing on the beach at Daytona?

There was a show recently about the races on the beach. If I remember right, I think it was that part of the track would become so rutted half of the cars would become stuck. Plus I think it was around that time NASCAR was formed, the paved tract may have been build first .Where is our historians.

[Nevadastars]

Why did they take the stock out of Stock Cars?

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by Nevadastars

Why did they take the stock out of Stock Cars?

I believe it was control.

[LSC9901]

Okay .. so here is one question that has baffled me for years. I do some of my own car repairs and often I rotate my own tires. When I do this it takes me a while to get the lugs lined up with the wheel itself. How is it that they come into the pits and in 13 plus seconds they get 4 tires changed and are gone? I don't see how they get the wheels and the lugs lined up so quickly. Once in a great while I'll whip the tire up and it slides right on but for the most part I have to work it a bit to get it onto the lugs. I do know how the lug nuts are on there but the rest of it is a mystery to me.

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Okay .. so here is one question that has baffled me for years. I do some of my own car repairs and often I rotate my own tires. When I do this it takes me a while to get the lugs lined up with the wheel itself. How is it that they come into the pits and in 13 plus seconds they get 4 tires changed and are gone? I don't see how they get the wheels and the lugs lined up so quickly. Once in a great while I'll whip the tire up and it slides right on but for the most part I have to work it a bit to get it onto the lugs. I do know how the lug nuts are on there but the rest of it is a mystery to me.

Practice LSC, practice. Some of those guys are descendants of pit crewers, the rest practice left and right.

[WVGrandma4Kasey]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Okay .. so here is one question that has baffled me for years. I do some of my own car repairs and often I rotate my own tires. When I do this it takes me a while to get the lugs lined up with the wheel itself. How is it that they come into the pits and in 13 plus seconds they get 4 tires changed and are gone? I don't see how they get the wheels and the lugs lined up so quickly. Once in a great while I'll whip the tire up and it slides right on but for the most part I have to work it a bit to get it onto the lugs. I do know how the lug nuts are on there but the rest of it is a mystery to me.

Power tools and they have the nuts stuck on with an adhesive(hope I spelled that right) Also they have marks to line up with.

[WVGrandma4Kasey]

Originally Posted by Nevadastars

Why did they take the stock out of Stock Cars?

The car's never really were stock car's. Even the shine runner's car's were modified.

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by WVGrandma4Kasey

The car's never really were stock car's. Even the shine runner's car's were modified.

20 years ago the bodies were far more stock than they are now. Take all the decals and paint off and it is real hard to tell the difference. Way back they even raced with the stock seats in them.

[WVGrandma4Kasey]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

20 years ago the bodies were far more stock than they are now. Take all the decals and paint off and it is real hard to tell the difference. Way back they even raced with the stock seats in them.

But not under the hood. and I'm pretty sure they strengthen the suspension.

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by WVGrandma4Kasey

But not under the hood. and I'm pretty sure they strengthen the suspension.

Absolutely ... what you couldn't see is a real part of the reason NASCAR started making the guidelines that all the teams had to follow. I'm sure no one would ever admit it but my guess is Petty didn't win ALL those races on the up and up.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Souporscotty

Why did they stop racing on the beach at Daytona?

I can give you a bit of insight on this one.
Daytona was the site of auto speed testing since, at least, the 1930 ( believe it was prior to this but I don't have any proof at hand). In fact, the world land speed record was set at Daytona by Malcom Campbell in his Bluebird in... 1936(?), but I won't swear to this date.
The first road/beach course was built in the 30's but early beach development moved it north. AMA motorcycles ran the course in 1946 but NASCAR didn't race there until 1949.
Bill France Sr tried to build the present Daytona track in 1955 but politics, tight money, and a problem with the FAA (they didn't like the proposed track so close to the little Volusia airport) held it up. In fact, it wouldn't have been built if the future founder of the Texas Rangers (Bill Murtchison, I believe it was) finally loaned him the money to do the job.
The highway A-1-A/beach course fell to rapid development and the last race was run there in 1958 (My very first NASCAR race attended...Am I old, or what??!!).
The AMA comtinued to run motorcycles on the beach until 1961.
If you ever get to Daytona, the foundation for the south grandstands are part of the little wall where Big Daddy's bar is (or was; I heard it was sold and renamed). Brewster's Resturart is at the site of the old north turn.
Like King Kong, beauty (if you call condos and garish resturants beautiful) killed the old track.

[TN_Gal]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

The highway A-1-A/beach course fell to rapid development and the last race was run there in 1958 (My very first NASCAR race attended...Am I old, or what?

J.C. Bob...............................I was born in 1958!!! But you still turn me on..

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Nevadastars

Why did they take the stock out of Stock Cars?

In a single word, Parity.

Bill France Sr originally wanted a series with completely stock cars. The winner of the very first race at Charlotte in 1948, Glen Dunnaway, was disqualified because he was running beefed-up springs in his '47 Ford. (He was running a car equipted for running shine). In fact, the first year NASCAR ran, the series was called "The NASCAR STRICTLY STOCK DIVISION." It didn't become the NASCAR Grand National Series until 1949.

Things stayed pretty well stock until the factories started throwing money at NASCAR. Then, in order to keep everyone equal (to keep everyone in the game, hopefully) NASCAR started tinkering with engines and suspension.

When autos went to untibody construction, safety made it mandatory that custom race chassis be made. This gave NASCAR the chance to go full bore into the parity thing.
Then around 1982 or 83 NASCAR reduced wheelbase to a stand lenght, whether the cars actually used this wheel base or not. It was also around this time that NASCAR did away with the 500 sold rule. Early on, NASCAR mandated that any car, or any part used on a car had to be stock, and had to be available to the general public and the manufactorur must have sold 500 of said car/part.
In the early 90's the Fords were aerodynamicly superior to the GM cars and GM demanded, and got, a wider and totally different rear deck lid.
The final nail in the stock car coffin was the Ford Taurus. The car came only in a four door model and a short wheelbase. NASCAR didn't want to see a four door on the track so they got into the race car design business and that was the end on National Assoc of STOCK CAR Auto Racing. Enter Nat'l Assoc of Specially Designed Car Racing.
All done in the name of parity which, in many cases, equals mediocrity.