Midwest Oldtimers march on the world's fastest half-mile

[Hagerty]

I stood on the apron of the south turn at Winchester Speedway, "The World's Fastest Half-Mile." As I moved my gaze skyward, my eyes flashed over the patched and porous pavement. Gouge here. Crack, crater there. After a long scan I finally spotted the concrete crest where white retaining wall met pale blue.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/motorsports/midwest-oldtimers-march-on-the-worlds-fastest-half-mile/

[Swamibob]

Really need a video or two of the track and cars to show what a half mile concrete wide oval looks like.

[buellerdan]

Search MOVRCC Winchester on Youtube.

[Cameron]

Check this out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4rbCgRXC6A

[Gary_Bechtold]

Very cool pictures of this track. I agree let's see some video.

[Cameron]

Thank you! Next time

[Tinkerah]

Whew - multi-carbed V8's and radius rods = spectacle even on level ground! I vividly remember watching other novices in spectator races "eat the wall" at a long-gone local high-banked oval while waiting for my heat. No amount of observation or study could've prepared me for how my senses would betray me. Only seeing far too many drivers crashing in what looked like easy to avoid wrecks put me on hyper-alert. At speed on track my vestibular system said "30 degrees? Hah! It's more like 60! More speed!", my butt said "It's a salad bowl! More speed!" yet my eyes said "it makes no sense but we seem to be sliding sideways up this hill." I trusted my eyes, ended up 1st and drove my unwrecked car home.

[Cameron]

It's quite the spectacle. What's the old saying, "fighter jets in a gymnasium?" 37 degrees looks like a vertical wall.

[Tinkerah]

The saying must be even older than I am, I've never heard it but it is perfectly appropriate. Those banks looked twice as steep as they really were. We don't appreciate how much we depend on our sense of balance for driving - until we can't trust it.

[TimK]

Picture #1, is that "Old Calhoun", Parnelli's 63 Indy winning car?

[Cameron]

Yes! A race-ready replica

[JohnstonMotors]

Great article, thanks.