I am perplexed!

[call_me_andrew]

This is the 1970 Indy 500. Note the rear-engine winged cars.

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This is the 1970 Tony Bettenhausen 100. It was run 3 months after the 500. Note the front-engine non-winged cars.

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What's with the backward quantum leap in technology?

[Phoenixent]

That was the last year that the championship ran on both paved and dirt tracks. Those drivers were highly talented being able to do both very well and it brought the top drivers of USAC to small venues which created more fans. I think it would be a lot harder for todays drivers to do that but not impossible. In 1970 Al Unser Sr. won 10 races on all types of tracks Paved 1 mile oval, Paved 2.5 mile oval, Dirt 1 mile oval and a road course... Name an Indycar driver today that can do that....

[garyshell]

Tony Stewart.

[call_me_andrew]

But why did they bring obsolete cars to the dirt race?

[mr nobody]

But why did they bring obsolete cars to the dirt race?

They aren't obsolete cars. They tried racing the rear engine cars on dirt at Du Quoin and they proved to be uncompetitive. Roger Ward drove a rear engine Watson and it proved to not work on dirt. There is an entire discussion that can go on about this and people choosing sides and arguing their points. That is somethng I won't get into here.

[Nem14]

In the 1970's wing design was still a fairly 'black' art and wings of the day weren't very effective at the speeds dirt cars achieved.

In other words, for dirt cars in the 1970's the added weight of the wings was not offset by a reduction in lap times.

[Chris R]

If they ever do that again, I vote for non-winged dirt cars - they look soooo much better than todays things (a modern sprint car to me looks as bad as many say the DW-12 looks)

[mr nobody]

If they ever do that again, I vote for non-winged dirt cars - they look soooo much better than todays things (a modern sprint car to me looks as bad as many say the DW-12 looks)

The days of the dirt cars being part of a "national championship trail" are long over. I for one don't like that as I feel dirt adds a tremendous level of difficulty to a race that you don't find on any form of pavement race format. You have to be an expert at tire management. You have to know how the track will change over the course of the race (much more then pavement ever will) and you have to learn that going as fast as you can isn't the way you win.

[Chris R]

If they ever do that again, I vote for non-winged dirt cars - they look soooo much better than todays things (a modern sprint car to me looks as bad as many say the DW-12 looks)

[Chris R]

The days of the dirt cars being part of a "national championship trail" are long over. I for one don't like that as I feel dirt adds a tremendous level of difficulty to a race that you don't find on any form of pavement race format. You have to be an expert at tire management. You have to know how the track will change over the course of the race (much more then pavement ever will) and you have to learn that going as fast as you can isn't the way you win.

I agree - but never say never - the sport has to re-invent itself to a certian extent and NASCAR is trying the dirt with the trucks so.......