The Modifieds put on a great show. Since they’re half fendered, there was a bit of rubbing in the turns.The Modifieds seemed to have pretty soft suspension and rolled quite noticeably in the turns. These cars run fairly small tires for their size and weight, so they rely a lot on weight transfer for cornering grip. It was fun to watch them dive, squat, and roll as the drivers heaved them into the corners.With the Modifieds packed away, it was time to grid up the Silver Crowns one last time. The grandstands were pretty well packed (the lower half was for customers who bought an infield ticket like me and the infield was a much cooler place to watch).I’d like to take a second to mention the pit carts because they are AWESOME. They’re normal golf carts modified to be rolling repair stands. Most carts I spotted had a full set of tools, along with suspension links, extra fuel, spare axles, and lots of spare tires. The obligatory push bar is also installed on the cart, a necessary modification since Silver Crown cars do not have onboard starters. On cold start, the engines are fired with a remote starter, but during a race, a push start saves a few precious seconds. Basically, these carts are designed to service a car mid-race without having to roll it into the paddock. Since there are no pit stalls at a lot of tracks (the Fairgrounds being one of them), the pit caddies have to be mobile to meet the car wherever it can stop.With the field on the grid, the command to start engines was given and 40 small block V8s roared into life. A couple cars stalled on the grid, but soon they were all moving and pacing the field. USAC uses rolling starts, a bit of a necessity since these engines are direct drive. For safety, Silver Crown cars do have a driveline decouple, but it’s not a clutch and can’t be used to get the car off the line.Chris Windom (17) took an early lead from pole sitter Kevin Thomas Jr (56). Windom lead early on, managing a smart gap to Thomas and 3rd place Tyler Courtney.
