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Semi-Monthly
Racing Commentary
with
LEW BOYD

Email Lew at lewboyd@coastal181.com
 

August 1, 2007

"Where have all the Supers gone?" 

You just can’t go to the annual Carquest Extreme Tuesday show at Stafford Speedway and not be blown away by the Supermodifieds.

This year had a special thrill in store when 65-year-old Bentley Warren became the first ever to time trial on the monster half-mile at under 17 seconds in his winged big block.

Often considered the asphalt equivalent of sprint cars, Supermodified racing grew by parallel evolution in pit areas across the country in the ’60s. There were tracks in Florida and the Southeast, Northern California, the upper Midwest and Ohio, the Northeast with the New England Supermodified Association, and, of course, Oswego, New York.

As cookie-cutter stock cars and spec motors have become increasingly in vogue over the last decade, there has been a notable decline in Super activity. Few teams have been able to keep pace with the financial – and engineering – demands of this most challenging and creative form of racing.

It’s a shame, because along with the unlimited cars came some unlimited characters. Amazingly talented racers and memorable personalities such as Rat Lane, Jim Shampine, Don MacLaren, and Davey Hamilton come to mind.

One of the most colorful Supermodified devotees of all times, though, had to be Armond Holley, the wandering Southern hot shoe who died two years ago this month.

Check him out in this story, originally published in Speedway Scene in July of 2005.

TEAROFFS Story on Armond Holley

© 2007 Lew Boyd, Coastal 181
 

.: Previous Tearoffs :.

8/1/07 - Armond Holley

7/15/07  - Red Farmer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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