It has been about a month since we have raced at STR. The Holiday season and flu bug have been major factors. That being said, x slot-heads showed up to race Super Stock and Early Modified at STR on 01/03/23
- In the Early Modified race it was Mark, Bob and Lowell for first through third respectively
- In the Super Stock class it was Bob, Ron and Mark for first through third respectively
The Early Modified class is a recent and very popular addition to the rotation at both Electron Raceway and STR. The class features American made 28-47 coupes or sedans. The tried-and-true “Econo” chassis was selected because of its simplicity, tight specifications and scale look.
To me, the cars are reminiscent of those run on a 1/3 miles dirt oval at Danbury Raceway in Connecticut. On many a Saturday evening a group of teenage friends made their way to the track for an evening of door banging entertainment. Don LaJoie, Kenny Webb, Chick Stockwell and other local favorites were regulars at the track (See below for a few images)
Prior Races at STR and Electron
In the prior Early Modified race at STR held on 5/30/20, Joe crushed the field with Bob and Mark a distant second and third respectively. Since that race there have been two Early Modified races at Electron Raceway. Rich and Bob were winners in those contests
The tables below show the details of the prior races and the best performances at STR and Electron beginning 1/1/20
Although the home track advantage favors Bob for the win in the upcoming race, he certainly will face challenges from Rich, Joe, Mark and Ron.
Observations
- Bob, Rich and Joe have are won Early Modified Races at STR and could be considered favorites for podium spots
- Mark or Ron could sneak onto the podium with a great performance or if any of the top three falter.
- I have driven Mike’s 33 Ford and it is a rocket capable of a much higher finish. It is also interesting to note that Mike has really improved in the past couple of months shattering personal bests on a regular basis. Look for Mike to move up the order
- Lowell’s Early Modified has achieved best laps in the 5.7-5.8 seconds at STR, a far cry from the 5.0-5.1 second fast laps of the top competitors. I will be sure to take a close look at Lowell’s set-up prior to the race. Perhaps there is something amiss.
- Scott’s Early Modified has suffered from reliability issues causing poor lap totals and consistency. Looking at his fast lap times, he should be fighting for a fourth place spot or better. If the issues are addressed, Scott should move up substantially. I will also be sure to check the set-up of Scott’s car as well
Current Contest
With several racers missing, including two of the top competitors in the class (Joe and Rich), podium spots were up for grabs. Bob was the favorite and in fact tuned the fastest lap at 5.058 seconds. However, Mark ran a personal best of 86.6 laps and took the top spot in the Early Modified race, besting Bob by about a lap. Lowell, Ron and Nick battled for the bottom step of the podium. In the end it was Lowell for third place turning a personal best and snatching a podium spot in Early Modified for the first time.
The Super Stock class features full size and mid-size American iron for the model years 58-79. The 70 Chevelle has been a popular body choice, but in the recent past a couple of competitors have discovered the 75 Chevy Laguna. I think the Laguna may be the best body for the class because it is both light and low. Unfortunately, these models are hard to find and expensive (see below for images of Bob’s and Ron’s Lagunas and best current Ebay offering).The Super Stock class chassis is a sophisticated, inline, scratch-built brass and wire affair. Most of the participants are using either sealed Super 16D, or ProSlot 16D motors.
Below is a table showing the results of the prior contest and the best performances of each driver since 1/1/20 (note, I have excluded the results for both Bob’s and Ron’s Laguna. Bob has run 90.2 laps with this car but does not run it very often. Instead he runs one of two 70 Chevelles). Looking at best performances, it is clear that any of the top five competitors (Joe, Bob, Ron, Mark or Rich) could battle for podium spots. I am sure that Bob and Joe will be fighting for the top spot but Ron, Mark or Rich could challenge the top two and will also be fighting for the bottom step of the podium.
Current Contest
With Joe and Rich missing from the grid my prediction would have been Bob, Ron and Mark for podium spots and that is just the way it turned out. All three turned fast laps in the low 5.2 second range so results hinged on consistency. Bob’s consistency was 94.39%; Ron’s was 92.23% and Mark’s was 90.27%
