Historic Stock Car Racing Series
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The Historic Stock Car Racing Series (HSCRS) is an auto racing organization based on the west coast of the United States. Founded by San Jose, California businessmen John Davis and Ron Huber (who passed on in 2005) in the late 1990's and originally known as the Historic Stock Car Racing Group West, the organization was formed to establish a venue for drivers to race retired NASCAR stock cars in friendly competition.
The cars that are raced by HSCRS members are retired and now-privately owned Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) stock cars, with a few Busch Grand National stock cars grandfathered into the group. The newest an HSCRS car can be is 2003, based upon the last year of Winston sponsorship.
It had been questioned whether the HSCRS might adjust their rules and car classes to permit cars up to 2007 current cars, as they are being retired at the end of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season because of the implementation of the Car of Tomorrow project full-time in 2008. The membership of the HSCRS has no plans to do so at this time or in the near future.
One of the foremost reasons cited for maintaining the current year of cars eligible for the Series is the continuing evolution in modern stock car technology (such as chassis and aero improvements) would leave the older cars far less competitive than their newer counterparts. Another fear is that allowing the last year of eligibility to also grow with each passing year of NASCAR competition would further water-down the "historic" nature of the HSCRS, the very principle of is origin.
In fact, the HSCRS is currently working to establish a new classification that will focus on many older cars than are usually raced by the membership now. Currently referred to as the "Chrome Bumper Class", its intent is to feature NASCAR race cars from 1976 to 1987/88 (depending on manufacturer), or the era just before the advent of the modern aero-dependent stock car.
Owners/drivers who wish to join the HSCRS are required to demonstrate that their car is a verifiable NASCAR stock car that, with a few exceptions allowed on behalf of driver safety, has been restored to its original racing condition.
The primary focus of the group are NASCAR stock cars built and raced 1994 and earlier, but they are further broken down into classes for reference:
- 1995 - 2003: Contemporary cars (110 inch wheelbase)
- 1981 - 1994: Historic cars (110 inch wheelbase)
- 1980 and earlier: Vintage cars (full-size cars, notably 115 inches in wheelbase)
In the interest of cost containment, cars may use either roller camshafts (a type used in Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series engines), or flat tappet camshafts (used in Nextel Cup engines). All cars using a roller camshaft must run a 10.0:1 compression ratio, slightly higher than the former 9.5:1 ratio mandated by NASCAR for those series. All cars using a flat-tappet camshaft must run with 2007 regulations mandating a 12.0:1 compression ratio. Cars must also run bias-ply tires, despite Goodyear's four-season transition (1989-92) to radial tires. The first race with radials was the 1989 First Union 400 at North Wilkesboro, NC. The last bias-ply race was the 1992 Food City 500 at Bristol, TN. NASCAR has exclusively used radial tires since then, and with Bristol being the late track to go radial, with the August 1992 Bud 500) where later-model Historic cars (1986-88 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 1990-94 Chevrolet Lumina, 1989-95 Ford Thunderbird, 1988-94 Pontiac Grand Prix, 1989-91 Buick Regal, and 1989-92 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme) all raced with radial tires, and Contemporary cars have only used radial tires. [1]
While the cars were originally raced in NASCAR-sanctioned events, the group is not associated with NASCAR. The former sponsors of these cars do not provide any compensation to the current owners, nor do they assume any liability for the continued competition of these race cars. Still, the cars are maintained in their original livery for accurate historical representation.
Prior to the formation of the HSCRS, the few existing owners/drivers of these historic race cars were limited to participating in Vintage Racing events, and were often relegated to sub-groups that paired the 3400-lb. machines with much smaller vintage race cars that ranged from diminutive European compacts to Shelby Mustangs, Corvettes and Cobras.
While this was initially done because there were not enough of the former NASCAR race cars to be treated as their own group, it revealed vast differences in speed and performance between the various types of cars. Although car-to-car contact is considered a grave offense in Vintage Racing (preservation of the vintage and historic race cars in lieu of cutthroat competition is paramount), racing accidents are inevitable. There began a growing concern that even minor contact between a massive purpose-built NASCAR racer and its smaller and lighter street-based counterpart could be devastating to the smaller car, and especially to the driver.
The HSCRS (and its east-coast counterpart, the Historic Stock Car Racing Group) is growing in popularity with long-time NASCAR fans who are less attracted by today's "cookie-cutter" race cars, and with the many who hold fond memories of NASCAR's storied past.
San Jose Grand Prix articles and news releases.
