Do body rules even exist?

Walking through the pits at GIS I had to ask myself do body rules even exist? The bodies on the current line-up of SLM's are almost back to the wedge days. The left side of the body is almost 8 inches higher than the right. One top chassis' body actually has a rounded RF fender for tire clearance because the decking is so low toward the right front. The LF nose flare is getting bigger and bigger, with several teams having it bolted to the side of the fender making it a substantial sideboard. Watched tech and noticed LOLMDS officials just casually walk around the cars and "act' like they are measuring bodies but paying no attention to what the measurements were. Just about every team goes to the scales with a crew member standing on the rear bumper just to make deck height.

I realize the track was awful during the feature but even in heat races when a car ran up behind someone to pass 90% of the time the car would shove the nose because they are so "aero" reliant. I have always been critical of tech procedures but this is going in a direction that is going the really hurt our sport.

I couldn't agree with you more! The bodies are way out of control. Flares on nose, left side being higher than the right, and the sail panels on some of the Swartz cars are hidieous!! The racing is junk anymore because of it. No wonder the support classes are more competitive. Sombody or a sanction is gonna have to stand up and make a change. Change the bodies to smaller, no fins, or flares, and put it back into the drivers hands. More pieces are the first place Id start.

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Originally Posted by davis2902

Walking through the pits at GIS I had to ask myself do body rules even exist? The bodies on the current line-up of SLM's are almost back to the wedge days. The left side of the body is almost 8 inches higher than the right. One top chassis' body actually has a rounded RF fender for tire clearance because the decking is so low toward the right front. The LF nose flare is getting bigger and bigger, with several teams having it bolted to the side of the fender making it a substantial sideboard. Watched tech and noticed LOLMDS officials just casually walk around the cars and "act' like they are measuring bodies but paying no attention to what the measurements were. Just about every team goes to the scales with a crew member standing on the rear bumper just to make deck height.

I realize the track was awful during the feature but even in heat races when a car ran up behind someone to pass 90% of the time the car would shove the nose because they are so "aero" reliant. I have always been critical of tech procedures but this is going in a direction that is going the really hurt our sport.

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They just want to write more rules, when they can't even tech the ones they have. They even updated the body rules last year and nothing happened from it and the bodies are still just as far out or more then ever. A rule is only an actual rule if it's enforced.

I saw a picture of a car there and the right front tire looked to be two feet offset from the right rear that may be an exaggerated but it is way more than I remember them being. I know these cars are radical and that is what I love about them but man that looked extreme.

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Originally Posted by Hoosier_Dirt

I couldn't agree with you more! The bodies are way out of control. Flares on nose, left side being higher than the right, and the sail panels on some of the Swartz cars are hidieous!! The racing is junk anymore because of it. No wonder the support classes are more competitive. Sombody or a sanction is gonna have to stand up and make a change. Change the bodies to smaller, no fins, or flares, and put it back into the drivers hands. More pieces are the first place Id start.

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I've said it before: Why do the cars even have a spoiler, now? If they are worried about safety and want to slow the cars down and save maybe some engine costs, cutting the spoilers or getting rid of them will be cheap. However I'd like to see some testing done, as it could make the racing worse. But unhooking the cars would probably help and allow it to be more about drivers then the car and technology.

Having one on a crate is crazy and a 12" one, lol. A 900HP open car has a 8" but a 400HP one needs 12"? I understand it was done because some where mixing engine combos and cars together but if it's a crate only class it shouldn't have more spoiler and probably no spoiler.

They did tech some. Fitzgerald got dq'd after qualifying for illegal deck height.

What gets me is those side panel... looks more like a modified with fenders

The modern generic super dirt late model racecar is everything described above and more. I too, am not a fan of the butchered DLM bodies and dd45 is spot on in his depiction of the cars looking like mortified's with fenders.

I would only add that the way they allow them to lay over on the right side and the hideous amount of rear steer they allow is turning off some folks. I absolutely love how fast and hooked up they are these days but the aesthetics have diminished a bunch of late.

Before are after A25jr on fitzy's deck height

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Originally Posted by pepaw

Before are after A25jr on fitzy's deck height

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After, according to Essex on the ppv.

Couldn't agree more, the roof is tilted like a wedge, body panels are all over the place,

What do you guys think? Take about 6 inches off the bottom of the right side sheet metal (skirts), and go back to some type of nose that resembles the mid 2000 nose pieces. Those that can, go look at the heat pictures from friday at GIS. There were some sealed off machines down there.

Go to dirt on dirt look at the bottom of the page they have pictures from a race from 05 lets get them back to looking like this.

Just look at the front end of the Boggs car in that thread. The nose and flaps are ridiculous. I agree with going back to the mid 2000's. Every single part of the body is so aero driven now.

As long as the crowds are as big as they have been at these big late model shows,nothing is gonna change. Most every big late model show I have been to the last few years have had huge attendance.

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Originally Posted by SHOE32

As long as the crowds are as big as they have been at these big late model shows,nothing is gonna change. Most every big late model show I have been to the last few years have had huge attendance.

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Agree, but like the pictures of the cars from 05 I went to a lot of racing then and the crowds were big then too.

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Originally Posted by drano

Agree, but like the pictures of the cars from 05 I went to a lot of racing then and the crowds were big then too.

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That is true.I think a little tweaking of body rules is fine,but I like the cars to look totally different than any other series. If the tracks are prepared properly,the racing is usually good. If the track prep sucks like GIS you get (not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word) racing.

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Originally Posted by SHOE32

That is true.I think a little tweaking of body rules is fine,but I like the cars to look totally different than any other series. If the tracks are prepared properly,the racing is usually good. If the track prep sucks like GIS you get (not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word) racing.

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That's the thing. Maybe the configuration could be better, but the track prep really wasn't that bad.