Early days
Circa 1950's
As these photos show, the Modifieds made an extreme evolution over time. They started out basically as a stock class of car. They are in fact still a stock car, Modified being short for, "Modified Stock Car". Thus, they are technically not an open wheel car, though many consider them as such. They are not to be confused with the Super Modified class, which was a much more open rules competition, allowing major modification and allowing things such as fuel injection, which early on weren't readily available on production cars, particularly American built production cars which rules generally required the use of. Some competed on Asphalt tracks, but generally are a bit different that the modifieds discussed here, which are strictly dirt track cars.
Because Modifieds competed on a local level, with no nationwide sanctioning body to set rules, there are a wide and varied range of what is considered a modified. What someone in Ohio calls a modified might not look like what a person in Texas calls a modified. But this is about Texas cars, so that is the design which will be referred to as modifieds here on this site.
Modifieds start life as a production vehicle. They were required to use a production frame, engine and body. These could however be altered, or modified, hence the name. In the early days the modifieds were almost completely stock. Guys would remove the windows, gut the interior and perhaps tweak the engine for more horsepower. Sometimes rollcages might be added, but these as well as other safety equipment were optional early on and generally not used. They did become mandatory before long, as well as firesuits and other safety measures.
Engines in the beginning were allowed to be improved, which progressed over time as in all racing. But the basic formula has always been, a stock production block and heads, with boring, or "punching them out" allowed, as well as aftermarket cams, valves and such. A single four barrel carb was the limit, with fuel injection not allowed. Aftermarket carbs were allowed, with some big Holley units on top. Headers were of course also allowed. If you stayed within those general regulation, about anything was allowed. Chevy engines were the dominant choice, with big blocks as well as small blocks allowed. Big block engines were the hot ticket for awhile, but soon small blocks, with their lighter weight being an advantage, soon became the way to go.
Because Modifieds competed on a local level, with no nationwide sanctioning body to set rules, there are a wide and varied range of what is considered a modified. What someone in Ohio calls a modified might not look like what a person in Texas calls a modified. But this is about Texas cars, so that is the design which will be referred to as modifieds here on this site.
Modifieds start life as a production vehicle. They were required to use a production frame, engine and body. These could however be altered, or modified, hence the name. In the early days the modifieds were almost completely stock. Guys would remove the windows, gut the interior and perhaps tweak the engine for more horsepower. Sometimes rollcages might be added, but these as well as other safety equipment were optional early on and generally not used. They did become mandatory before long, as well as firesuits and other safety measures.
Engines in the beginning were allowed to be improved, which progressed over time as in all racing. But the basic formula has always been, a stock production block and heads, with boring, or "punching them out" allowed, as well as aftermarket cams, valves and such. A single four barrel carb was the limit, with fuel injection not allowed. Aftermarket carbs were allowed, with some big Holley units on top. Headers were of course also allowed. If you stayed within those general regulation, about anything was allowed. Chevy engines were the dominant choice, with big blocks as well as small blocks allowed. Big block engines were the hot ticket for awhile, but soon small blocks, with their lighter weight being an advantage, soon became the way to go.
Changing times
Circa 1960's-70's
The cars progressed over time. Like in all racing, someone would come up with an innovative idea, and when it proved faster, others would soon copy it. The Modifieds soon went from basically gutted out road cars, to more specially prepared race cars. The front fenders that covered the wheels were soon discarded, bodies were cut and narrowed, drivers seats were moved to the center of the chassis and engines became more powerful.
Safety improved also, with roll cages and seat belts becoming common, though many still drove wearing jeans and t-shirts, so fire was a major hazard The preferred base to start with was usually a 1955 through 1957 Chevy. These were readily available, cheap and their trailing arm rear suspension was considered the hot ticket. The Blue Oval and Mopar crowd had their diehard representatives as well however.
Safety improved also, with roll cages and seat belts becoming common, though many still drove wearing jeans and t-shirts, so fire was a major hazard The preferred base to start with was usually a 1955 through 1957 Chevy. These were readily available, cheap and their trailing arm rear suspension was considered the hot ticket. The Blue Oval and Mopar crowd had their diehard representatives as well however.
Wings!
Circa 1970's
Perhaps the biggest development for the modifieds were when wings were first used. Super Modifieds were the first class to use them, followed soon by Sprint cars and Modifieds. Early ones were rather crude, some even constructed from plywood. I once saw a photo of a fellow who used an inverted hood off a pickup truck for a wing. The wings provided instant massive downforce that help plant the rear-end and greatly improved traction and grip.
Around this same time many used car bodies that did not match the chassis frame used. You can see in this photo the production frame, most likely one of the '55 thru '57 chevy production vehicles mentioned above, but that appears to be a Corvair body, which were popular at the time. Mustangs and Vega bodies were also widely used.
Around this same time many used car bodies that did not match the chassis frame used. You can see in this photo the production frame, most likely one of the '55 thru '57 chevy production vehicles mentioned above, but that appears to be a Corvair body, which were popular at the time. Mustangs and Vega bodies were also widely used.
Coupes
Circa 1970's-1980's
Weight is everything in racing, the lighter the better. If the rules didn't say you had to have it, the guys would get rid of it. Straight axles were not uncommon in the early days, but soon a-frames took over. Rear suspension, originally stock leaf springs, gave way to more sophisticated, adjustable design. Engines were still under the same basic rules of stock production blocks, but they had evolved as well. Many guys built their own, but specialty built racing engines were becoming more popular and unless you were an engine building whiz, you'd better buy one if you wanted to keep up.
With saving weight all the rage, lighter bodies were also needed. Fiberglass "coupe" bodies, as seen in the photo to the left, became popular. They were a bit controversial at first, but having allowed bodies that weren't the same as the production chassis there were mounted on, the fiberglass bodies were allowed.
With saving weight all the rage, lighter bodies were also needed. Fiberglass "coupe" bodies, as seen in the photo to the left, became popular. They were a bit controversial at first, but having allowed bodies that weren't the same as the production chassis there were mounted on, the fiberglass bodies were allowed.
Gremlins!
Circa 1980's
The AMC Gremlin. A passenger car introduced in the 1970's to an American public that didn't really want them. Dirt trackers did though, the bodies at least. Lightweight and narrow to begin with, they soon became the popular body to use.
Gremlins!
But since the Gremlin wasn't a popular model, the supply was soon thin, so guys merely built their own...
Gremlins!
Or something that looked like it.
The Mud Bus
This body style originated in the Northeastern US, where they also ran dirt modifieds, but didn't use wings. Therefore the guys there came up with this body style, which had channels that ran inside the body shell and gave needed downforce. It was dubbed "Mud Bus" due to it's width. The Texas, Louisiana cars soon started using them as well, along with wings but as some tracks did not use wings, it was seen as an advantage to have. Many still used the skinny Gremlin style bodies as well, and were really just as competitive as the Mud Bus, even without a wing.
Death and Rebirth
The winged Modifieds were their own worst enemy. Being a very competitive class, guys spent more and more money in an effort to be the fastest. Towards the end of the 1980's, the class was starting to die out, as purses did not equal what was being spent to build the cars. Racers started moving to other classes, some lower and cheaper, some higher and more expensive, but gave a much better return on investment, namely the sprint car and late model class. The Winged Modifieds were soon virtually non-existent, being replace by the much cheaper IMCA modifieds and other cheaper to build type Modifieds. The IMCA type class did provide good racing, but were more limited than the old fire breathing winged modifieds. To those of us who lived through the winged mod era, who saw epic battles and great racing, things will never be the same. There has been an attempt to revive the winged modifieds as of late however, with sanctioning bodies in Texas and Louisiana seeing a rebirth. One of the newer versions is pictured here. It's good to see a renewed interest in what many of us considered the best racing ever,
