2nd Banana...or 3rd...or 4th

I have just posted some shots (all mine) below of those second or third divisions that make up weekly short track racing in America. The fields (and the entertainment) would be small if it were not for these weekend warriors that race for almost nothing. In some cases they actually do race for no compensation.

The Sports Truck, Sportsman and the one (yellow) full Late Model images have been shown before but the rest are new to The Outsider Blog.

Sport Trucks are a low budget form of racing based on NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series. They run with almost stock 4 cylinder motors and are essentially a truck version of a mini stock, which is another 2^nd or 3^rd banana division. 

As an aside, most people know about NASCAR’s trucks but did you know that the southern base All Pro Racing Series had a truck division in the late 1970s and early 80s? They were short track late models with truck bodies. Bobby Allison was among those who raced in that series.

There are divisions called Sportsman all over America. That term can almost mean anything. They can “almost” be full late models. They can be a limited modified or even a limited sprint car. The asphalt Sportsman you see below was designed for 1970s and 80s full sized cars. They have big motors although they are primarily stock. They were fast and put on a great show.

There are also divisions called Limited Late Models running at many tracks. The three cars you see below were actually from a Midwestern touring “limited” series called MARS. They have a more basic engine with a two barrel carb and a low cylinder compression ratio. . They tend to weigh a bit more than the regular late model, and use a bargain race tire. In some cases they have a more stock appearing body. Look at the three limited cars below and compare them with the sleek late model below them

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Full late model

The term modified covers a lot of ground but most people know what is meant by IMCA Modified. It is a relatively low buck open wheel car that was first created and sanctioned by IMCA. They are often a second banana division to sprint cars or late models, but they are just as often the top division at any given track. They also run asphalt just like these other divisions can also be found on dirt.

The last division is a 2^nd or 3^rd or 4^th banana division and the photo is a classic car from the past. In 1974 I was the track photographer at the now gone Englewood Speedway in Colorado. This is Darrell Smith after winning the Figure Eight feature. The car is a 1954 Ford. All of the cars in this division were 1953-1957 models. Despite those old cars this was a “balls to the walls” top notch 2^nd banana division. It was in the category of The Speedrome in Indiana and Islip Speedway in Long Island, NY for top Figure Eight racing.  Please excuse the poor quality of this photo, but it is a copy of a faded, pitted and wrinkled print that is almost 40 years old.

The point to today’s article, in addition to sharing some pix that I have not previously shared, is to pay homage to those secondary divisions that fill out short track racing programs, and give us the bang for our buck. In many cases it is these racers, crews and families, who via the “back gate” money they pay, give a track the purse to pay the top division.