Hey CIRF,
This is off topic, but I saw this morning on IOW that the Lucas Oil Southern States Midget D2 cars are going to be in Georgia in february!!! I can't wait, never seen a midget race in person and its only like 2 hours from my house.
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Stede, although the division II midgets provide very good and exciting racing they aren't the full on USAC, POWRi or ARDC midgets. Be advised that the D II midgets look nearly identical to the full on midgets there is a lot of horsepower difference. The D II midgets are restricted to using OEM 4 cylinder engines of several different manufacturers.
They are:
GM Ecotec 2.4L (LE5), or 2.2L (L61)
Honda 2.4 L (K24A1)
Chrysler World Engine 2.4L
Toyota 2.4L (2AZ-FE)
Ford/Mazda Duratec 2.3L (23 I-4/L3)
GM Quad 4 2.3L and 2.4L
Ford 2.0L Focus/Scream Pre-2004 (see notes)
They can't be massaged very much and must use OEM blocks, heads, camshaft's and crankshaft's. No porting of the heads is allowed. The lower end can be balanced but no lightened or knife edged crankshaft's are allowed. They can choose to run either MFI or EFI either with plenum or individual runner intake systems. They are basically powered by an OEM engine and a clutching system with starter is optional.
They put on a very good show but are noticeably slower than the full on USAC/POWRi/ARDC midgets. But, the engines cost way, way less than the full on TRD's and Esslinger's.
This is a very good purse and I would highly recommend attending the Georgia show. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Since you haven't seen the midgets in person you won't have the full on midgets as a frame of reference thus you'll probably enjoy it even more. The difference between the full on midgets and the D II's is very much akin to the difference between a super dirt late model and a crate late model. From the outside they look identical but what's under sheet metal is a whole other beast.
Go, and have a great time! This might be the biggest purse these guys have ever raced for and there should be a ton of cars!! Let us know how you liked the show.