Charlie Swartz Mid Engine Wedge

[Clayton_Wetter]

CIRF Charlie killed them with this car that they put together at the last minutes, for secrecies sake. He was way too much for the entire field.

The 1982 win was his only DTWC win.

[CIRF]

Charlie Swartz won the DTWC in 1982 in this car. Front engine.

Thanks for setting the record straight, Clay. I humbly stand corrected. I'm working on memory now but I recently read that Charlie won 2 races in the wedge and I mistakenly took it for granted that the DTWC at Pennsboro was one of them. I know that Charlie and Ray Callahan collaborated on the design and construction of the car and IIRC they built it to win the DTWC. The way the legend goes is that Ray and Charlie built the original wedge in Charlie's shop under very tight security. There was too much activity at Ray's shop in Springfield, Illinois to allow for much secrecy.

For those that don't follow the midgets, or more specifically, Keith Kunz and his older brother Rusty, they both learned the basics of race car design and construction from Ray Callahan. I believe KKM produced midget chassis known as Bullet Chassis somewhat in honor of Ray who's DLM chassis were known as Bullit.

[Bubstr]

C & B it would have to be before 1985, because UMP was created in 1984.

True, there where quite a few that got a little exotic. UMP was supposed to make it so you could run everywhere in the country under the same rules. It didn't exactly work that way.

[billetbirdcage]

I really wish I could remember who or when this was but:

The rule on engine set back was 6" from the LF ball joint to the #1 spark plug.

So a guy had installed the engine backwards with the front of the engine to the back of the car, so the balancer end is what hooked to the transmission and used a reverse rotation rear end.

I know I stumbled on it a long time ago, but don't remember a whole lot about it. But I do think it wasn't a Chevy engine and something weird like a Olds or Buick. I just can't remember because if you install backwards the #1 cylinder is farther back on a Chevy making it more illegal so while this doesn't sound right, there was something about it. Maybe he used an engine that has #1 marked as one of the rear cylinders.

Any one remember something like this?

[Clayton_Wetter]

Charlie Swartz won the DTWC in 1982 in this car. Front engine.

[CIRF]

Did the car win any races? A MR car seemingly would have an advantage, at least on blacktop they would.

As cnbf said, it won at Pensboro. It may have won a couple more, as well. Dependability was a huge problem for Charlie's wedge car, but when it was running to it's capability it was unbeatable by the standard late models of that era. Hell, it might be faster than today's twisted up creations!!

C & B it would have to be before 1985, because UMP was created in 1984.

Clay, not positive but I think Charlie brought the wedge to The Springfield Mile back in the fall of 1983. Springfield might have been the last hurrah for ol' Charlie's wedge.

[CIRF]

Chargin' Charlies' mid engine late model design was quite promptly deemed "not in the spirit of traditional late model design", or something to that effect, outlawed and banished to the scrap pile labeled unacceptable. In today's world of jacked up, twisted up, science fiction style nose piece dirt late models, Charlies' wedge seems quite tame in regards to departure from the "spirit" of what a dirt late model should be. Was the wedge design as far out as the DLM's of today? Doubtful.

What the wedge car represented, had it survived, was the obsolescence of literally millions of dollars worth of equipment and nearly all the knowledge anyone had about the geometry and characteristics of a "regular" DLM at that time. The costs and learning curve was more steep than the rank and file DLM team wanted to embark upon.

[Clayton_Wetter]

Did the car win any races? A MR car seemingly would have an advantage, at least on blacktop they would.

[rdcllk]

Im thinking there was a thread on here. Awhile back, Talking about this car.

[snow121]

Ran at Concord,N.C big 10 series. Loy Allen had one also.

[Clayton_Wetter]

C & B it would have to be before 1985, because UMP was created in 1984.

[Clayton_Wetter]

Since I can remember, tracks have had an engine setback rule, maybe not all tracks then?

[chupp n bloomer fan]

Does anyone have any info on this car. Whether it was allowed to race, etc?

Yeah. I believe he raced it at Pennsboro, say 1985 DTWC??

[Clayton_Wetter]

Does anyone have any info on this car. Whether it was allowed to race, etc?