Recently Miss Chicken was on display along side a Cajun Sprinter. It was a surprise to me to see just how much the two cars are alike. From the early day of racing to now, the goals are basically the same: How much power can you effectively put to the track and how can you make the car handle better in the turns.
In the old days (before power steering) the hotrods had to engineer ways to develop better steering. They would extend the length of the Pitman Arm to provide a faster and more responsive turn. They would also take a rear end from an old Crosley cars and use them for steering boxes. Turning the steering wheel is one thing, making the car turn on the track is something altogether different. Dad used wedges in the springs and added anti-sway bars on the body and frame to make it stick to the track. He also played with a combination of gears and tires sizes to develop just the right amount of power to the rear wheels.
Marshall Yelverton, owner of the #7 Cajun Sprint car, gave me a close-up view of his ride. He uses a lot of the same tricks developed from back in the early days to power his car around the track. The materials used in a modern racecar are lighter and stronger then ever before. This allows for wider tires and a lot more power.
Todays cars are fast !! Back in her day, Miss Chicken could turn a lap on a 1/4 mile dirt track around 19 seconds. What a difference 40 years has made…
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Marshall Yelverton and His Cajun Sprinter
I'd like to say a special "Thank You" to Marshall Yelverton for showing me around his #7 Cajun Sprinter. He is from Florence Mississippi and you would be very hard pressed to meet a nicer guy in all of racing! I met Marshall and his son at Swinging Bridge Race Track last year.
