Get ready for a wild ride as we dive into the fascinating world of NASCAR's lowrider era! The 90s brought a unique twist to qualifying, leaving drivers' voices shaking in their boots.
When we think of lowriders, we often imagine sleek, customized cars hugging the road. But in the 90s, NASCAR had its own take on this trend. During qualifying at the iconic superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega, cars took on a whole new look, with their rear ends significantly lower than the front. It was a sight to behold!
Three-time Cup champion crew chief Ray Evernham revealed that, back then, NASCAR had no rules restricting this practice. So, they took it to the extreme, with a back-end rake that was a whopping seven inches lower than the front. And Dale Earnhardt Jr. confirmed that they pushed the boundaries even further, building cars with extreme frame angles to achieve even lower profiles.
Veteran crew chief and broadcaster Larry McReynolds was a master of this craft. He perfected the art of raking the back end with altered shock absorbers, creating the iconic lowrider effect. McReynolds shared a hilarious yet telling anecdote: "We're holding the cars down so hard that drivers' voices quiver when they talk to us on the radio. They can't even read the gauges on the dash because the car is bouncing like crazy!"
But here's where it gets controversial... Despite the harsh ride, these lowriders were incredibly fast. McReynolds explained, "The harsher you make it, the faster it goes." It's a concept that defies conventional wisdom!
The lowrider phenomenon even inspired some humorous tales. Former crew chief Robin Pemberton recalled a set of shocks they called "super-duper double down driver killers." Whenever they needed an extra boost at Daytona or Talladega, they'd slap these shocks on the car, no questions asked.
NASCAR initially planned to ban these lowrider shocks, but the task of policing them seemed nearly impossible. The sanctioning body realized they'd have to inspect each shock individually, a daunting task. So, they decided to let the lowrider effect continue, at least for a little while longer.
And this is the part most people miss... The lowrider effect wasn't just about the shocks. It was also about pairing them with soft rear springs that compressed easily. This combination often made it look like the car was riding on its tailpipes or had an extra hundred pounds in the trunk. But just as you'd say, "Watch this!", the springs and shocks would pop back into position, ready to hit the track.
"It was perfect!" Pemberton exclaimed with a laugh.
Unfortunately, this wild ride came to an end with the 2000 Daytona 500. NASCAR took control of the shocks, providing each team with four standardized shocks to install. It was a move to level the playing field, but not everyone was happy.
Dale Earnhardt had some strong words: "That's the worst racing I've seen at Daytona in a long time. They took the racing out of the drivers' and crews' hands. We can't adjust, we can't make our cars drive like we want. They've just killed the race at Daytona."
The 2000 Great American Race only had nine lead changes, leading many fans to deem it one of the most boring Daytona 500s ever.
The superspeedway shocks system remained in place for another 17 years, but in 2018, NASCAR eliminated rules related to rear shocks. While the rake wasn't as extreme as in the 90s, it still allowed for some creative engineering.
So, what do you think? Was the lowrider era a brilliant innovation or a controversial step too far? Let us know in the comments! We'd love to hear your thoughts on this unique chapter in NASCAR history.
