Get ready for a wild ride as we dive into the fascinating world of NASCAR's lowrider era!
In the 1990s, NASCAR witnessed an unconventional trend that left drivers' voices shaking and fans in awe. Meet the lowriders - not your typical customized cars, but race vehicles with a unique twist. These cars had a significant difference in height between their front and rear ends, creating an extreme rake during qualifying at the iconic superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega.
Three-time Cup champion crew chief Ray Evernham revealed that back then, NASCAR had no rules restricting this innovative design. Evernham's team pushed the limits, creating a seven-inch difference between the front and back rakes. Dale Earnhardt Jr. added that teams started building cars with extremely angled frame rails to achieve even lower profiles.
Veteran crew chief and broadcaster Larry McReynolds mastered the art of creating this lowrider effect. By manipulating shock absorbers, he held the cars down so firmly that drivers' voices quivered over the radio. The cars bounced so violently that drivers couldn't even read their dashboards!
But here's the controversial part: despite the harsh ride, these lowriders were incredibly fast. McReynolds explained, "The harsher you can make it, the faster it goes." It's a concept that challenges conventional wisdom and sparks debate among racing enthusiasts.
The lowrider phenomenon even inspired humorous tales. Former crew chief Robin Pemberton shared a story about a set of shocks they called "super-duper double down driver killers." These shocks were so extreme that they were only used when the team needed an extra boost at Daytona or Talladega.
NASCAR initially planned to ban these lowrider shocks, but the task of policing and inspecting each shock proved too daunting. So, the sanctioning body decided to keep the lowrider effect for a while longer, creating a unique and exciting era in NASCAR history.
The lowrider effect wasn't just about the shocks. It also involved pairing them with very soft rear springs that compressed easily. This combination often made the back end of the car appear incredibly low, almost as if it were riding on its tailpipes. It gave the impression of extra weight in the trunk, only for the springs and shocks to pop back into position just before the car returned to the track.
"You'd say, 'Watch, watch, watch,' and a car would sit there, and all of a sudden, it'd pop up. Oh, it was perfect!" Pemberton exclaimed with a laugh.
However, this era of freedom came to an end with the 2000 Daytona 500. NASCAR took control of shocks away from the teams, providing each team with four shocks to install in their cars. This move aimed to level the playing field but sparked controversy.
Dale Earnhardt, a legendary NASCAR driver, quipped, "That's the worst racing I've seen at Daytona in a long, long time." He believed that NASCAR had taken the racing out of the drivers' and crews' hands, limiting their ability to adjust and control their cars. Many fans agreed, calling the 2000 Great American Race one of the most boring Daytona 500s ever due to the limited lead changes.
Despite the controversy, the superspeedway shocks system remained in place for another 17 years. In 2018, NASCAR eliminated rules related to rear shocks, but the extreme rake of the 1990s was a thing of the past.
So, what do you think? Was the lowrider era a brilliant innovation or a controversial step too far? Let's discuss in the comments and share your thoughts on this unique chapter in NASCAR history!
