MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Bragging rights have always been one of the most interesting aspects of motorsports.
Whether it be NASCAR, NHRA, IndyCar, IMSA or at the local short track, fans are always intrigued by the winning manufacturers. And while not as prevalent as it was a few decades ago, the makers still believe in the mantra “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday.”
Chevy vs. Ford; Toyota vs. Nissan; Honda vs. Chevrolet; Suzuki vs. Kawasaki; we are all interested in seeing manufacturer diversity.
During most of its existence, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series — and winged sprint car racing as a whole — has been dominated by engines of Chevrolet origin.
Team owner Casey Luna found success with a Ford engine during the late 1980s and early ’90s, while Gary Stanton’s potent Mopar powerplants carried Mark and Karl Kinser to numerous victories and championships in the late ’90s.
But mainly because of their reliability and availability, Chevrolet engines rule the roost.
More than 90 percent of the winged sprint cars competing in this country carry engines derived from a Chevrolet block. Ford and Toyota have each made strides toward generating the power and consistent performance it takes to win at the top level of sprint car racing but remain in an uphill battle on the engine front.
Donny Schatz, whose Tony Stewart Racing team has been developing a Ford powerplant for the past three seasons, won the season opener at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park.
Kyle Larson, sporting Chevy power, finished second and Aaron Reutzel, piloting Toyota’s flagship sprint car entry, finished third.
Schatz is currently the only significant competitor using the Ford powerplant, while Reutzel is at the forefront of Toyota Racing Development’s fledgling engine program, while Kerry Madsen will also work with the manufacturer when he pilots the Roth Motorsports No. 83jr sprint car.
It could be an interesting battle to watch as the season progresses.
• Five different drivers (Schatz, Sheldon Haudenschild, David Gravel, Tyler Courtney and Cory Eliason) graced victory lane during the five nights of winged 410 action during Speedweeks in Florida.
• Justin Grant is going to win a lot of races this season. Last year, he won 12 times while competing in all 93 features run across the three USAC national divisions.
Grant, who returns to the same three teams (TOPP Motorsports, RMS Racing and Hemelgarn Racing) will have experience on his side and benefit from several of his competitors branching out into other racing series.
The California native started the season with a bang, sweeping the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget Series opening doubleheader at Florida’s Bubba Raceway Park.
• The introduction of NASCAR’s Next Gen race car attracted 42 entries for 40 spots in the Daytona 500. With 36 spots reserved for teams that own or lease charters, it left six competitors racing for four positions.
We are optimistic that car counts will continue to improve thanks to the standardization of the Next Gen cars, but the days of The Great American Race attracting between 50 and 60 entries remain a thing of the past.
• Speaking of car counts, the 61 cars that started the Rolex 24 At Daytona endurance race at the end of January was the largest starting field since the 2014 event at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
• If you’ve noticed your SPEED SPORT Magazine hasn’t been delivered consistently on a month-to-month basis during the past three months, it’s not your imagination. Supply-chain issues with paper and other printing products, as well as workforce issues at our contracted printing plant, have created delays beyond our control.
Please hang in there with us, we’re trying.
• When the United Sprint Car Series visited Georgia’s Needmore Speedway, three members of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame were in competition. During the final night of the doubleheader, Hall of Famer Terry McCarl took the checkered flag. Fellow Hall of Famers Danny Smith, the reigning USCS champion, and Terry Gray each finished in the top 10.
McCarl is 57, Smith is 64 and Gray is 63.
• On the opposite end of the age spectrum, 13-year-old Trey Mills competed in dirt late model events throughout Florida in February. Mills, a Florida native, won a 602 late model feature at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway last spring as a 12-year-old.
• Cheers to Thomas Meseraull. T-Mez isn’t afraid of much. He’s fast and aggressive in a race car and not afraid to speak his mind. As our birthdays continue to mount, we like drivers like T-Mez moreand more.