DIRTRACKR Daily Podcast - Episode Transcript
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Inside the plan to straighten out dirt late model bodies | Daily 4-22-2024
Dirt late model bodies were a big topic of conversation when the 2024 season started, and the national series were paying attention. I've got details today on their plan to straighten things out a bit, plus a Hudson O'Neal update, sprint car driver news, and more. Let's go!
It's Monday, April 22nd, I'm Justin Fiedler. This is DIRTRACKR Daily presented by Kubota Genuine Parts.
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Back in January, we did a daily show about how manipulated dirt late model bodies have become, and we did that show after this photo of Devin Moran's car started making the rounds in the days following a practice slash test day at Golden Isles. This is a Chris Anderson photo that I'm sure a lot of you have seen. That daily show from January got a bunch of attention, and is actually the third most viewed daily show in 2024 with nearly 40,000 views. In that show, we talked about the bodies and how they reminded me of the early to mid-2000s NASCAR Cup cars that were very twisted and skewed to take full advantage of aerodynamics while the car was in yaw. When NASCAR officials used templates on the bodies, they fit, because the templates themselves were only specific to that section of the car's body. So the incredibly gifted fabricators and body hangers were able to do some very wild stuff. To do something about it, NASCAR created a whole car template that many referred to as the claw. And now these days, a sophisticated camera system scans the bodies into a computer that then looks to see if they are meeting the thresholds. Dirt late model bodies going this direction has drawn the ire of some, because of the costs associated with learning what works, and also the potential for dirty air to then cause worse racing. We've been watching this same discussion about dirty air play out in sprint car racing this season in connection to the wicker bills on the sprint car wings. Cleaner air for the trailing cars would hopefully result in more passing. So why am I bringing up dirt late model bodies again? Well, it's because one series is starting to work on a way to try and control them. In that January show, we talked about the only likely solution being some sort of full body template, and that's what appears to be in the works. This past weekend at the Talladega Short Track, World of Outlaws officials had a set of templates they were using on cars with the intent of trying to control the skew. I've seen several photos of the setup and the process, and I've been told it's quite complex. They have a system of square tubing that fits together, which includes some parts of the template that go all the way to the ground. Cars were being checked on a concrete pad, and one set of bars can be seen going across the hood right behind the airbox, with another running perpendicular from the center of the windshield area down to the nose. The photos I've seen aren't mine to share, although I don't think this is any sort of big secret. The process at Talladega was happening out in the open. So you can get a picture of what I'm talking about though, here is a poor photoshop job of what was shared with me. Supposedly this system made it's first appearance during the MLRA weekend at Wheatland, and it sounds like it could be on hand when the Lucas series goes to Georgetown on Friday. From what I gather from the various conversations I've had in the last 24 hours or so, this is still a work in progress, but it's very much in response to what we've seen from some cars this season, including Moran's Double Down 99 machine. Opinions seem to be a bit mixed on this particular approach, and if it's the right way forward, but I don't think you can fault the series for taking a look at this. Especially if they believe the racing is being hurt. I just hope all involved are being cognizant of costs, and how this will effect local and regional racers. I don't know that I'd expect any imminent rule changes, but I could see something like this being implemented down the road, or maybe for 2025.
While we wait for an announcement on Hudson O'Neal's future, he did share a photo of what appears to be his ride for this upcoming Lucas weekend. This was shared late on Saturday to Facebook, so Longhorn confirmed. No other details included though. There are rumblings this is some sort of family owned deal, with support from Longhorn and Kevin Rumley. O'Neal had driven for Rumley in the interim after parting with the Rocket house car team. This won't be the first time that O'Neal is exclusively in a Longhorn, as Kyle McFadden recently mentioned in a story at FloRacing.com. O'Neal spent 2019 in a Longhorn, and won some big races, including the Jackson 100.
One sprint car news item for you. The Beaver Racing 12X team announced yesterday they have parted with driver Carson McCarl. The pairing had made just three starts together, including World of Outlaws shows at 81 Speedway and US36, and this past Saturday night at Salina with High Limit. McCarl had yet to make a feature in any of those events, with a best finish of eighth in a B-Main. The team said they are looking for new driver options to continue their season. Their original schedule had them racing this weekend at Knoxville against the Outlaws. We'll see if they find a driver in time.
Before we close out today, I just wanted to share that you guys are absolutely busted. I have so many of you in comments talking about how terrible NASCAR is and you don't watch anymore, but I know the truth. Every Sunday when I post a daily show, I watch my views dip when the Cup race starts, and suddenly spike just as soon as the Cup race is over. And that was true yesterday as well. I shared this screengrab to social media on Sunday evening, which shows a 60 minute window of views right around when the Cup race ended. I'll let you decide when exactly that happened. I'm sure that because I mentioned NASCAR earlier in the bit about dirt late model bodies, there will undoubtedly be a comment or two on this show talking about how terrible it is that dirt late model racing is trying to be like NASCAR. There might even be a NAPCAR mention, or something else derogatory. And that's fine. But I know the truth, and the truth is that you guys are watching. And you know what, that's totally cool. I like watching all forms of motorsports myself. I spent a decent bit of the afternoon yesterday watching the IndyCar GP of Long Beach. I just like racing, and it's okay if you do too.
That's it for the daily show today. Make sure to stop by dirtrackr.com to see all the latest news and stories from around the sport.
Hope you guys have a great Monday out there, we'll see you back here tomorrow!