Modified Stock Car Racing - Dirt Modifieds

Dirt Modifieds

Dirt modifieds are probably the most popular type of racing in the US. Almost every dirt sanctioning body has a class of modifieds. Identifying these cars gets a little tricky at times.

The Super DIRTcar Series modifieds are the easiest to identify. The driver sits in the middle of the car, with high-downforce, wind-channeling tunnels on either side of him. The roofs are very flat, and tilted to catch additional air. The front suspension is usually a coil-over setup, with a torsion-bar set-up for the rear suspension. They utilize full tube chassis, which to the untrained eye, looks to be a sprint car chassis, but is much different in reality.

The IMCA-style modifieds are easy to identify as a whole, but distinguishing between the sanctioning bodies is all but impossible. The bodies are very flat on the sides, and lack the downforce generating tunnels the DIRTcar modifieds sport. The driver sits on the left side. One of the most notable differences between the IMCA-style modifieds and other modified series cars, is the use of stock production car frame sections as part of the racing chassis. These cars also race on smaller tires than the other types of modifieds, with most sanctioning bodies specifying the same tire. The IMCA Sportmods appear very similar to their brethren, but have distinctly different engines. The Afco KidModz appear the same as the others, but sport full tube chassis, and by rules, have to have Ford 2300 cc inline 4-cylinder engines.

• A modern Super DIRTcar Series modified in action.

• Frankie Schneider's DIRT modified from the early 1980s

• 2006 IMCA National Champion Benji LaCrosse's Modified.

• A Northern division IMCA Sport Modified.