Stephen Cox wraps up his mini-series and blogs about the performance improvements after the installation of a new Windsor racing engine and transmission.
The ‘80 Mustang is arguably the least desirable of any Ford pony car ever built and is certainly not worth the money and effort for a restoration. But the car has tremendous sentimental value for my family and me. I bought the car in early 1982 as the second owner. My wife and I dated in this car and I've since put over 240,000 miles on the o...
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Stephen Cox
SHORT TRACK RACING: HOMAGE TO A FORGOTTEN SERIES!
Hard to believe it's been nearly 20 years since the Championship Auto Racing Series (CARS) ran exciting, wheel to wheel stock car races on short tracks around Indiana. This series was distinct from and should not be confused with today's southeastern CARS series that descended from the old Hooters ProCup series, blogs Stephen Cox.
The original CARS series was Indiana-based, founded by former ARCA driver Morris Coffman. The concept was built around a spec stock car chassis powered by 305 cubic i...
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OPEN ROADS, PART 1: COLORADO TO CALIFORNIA ON US ROUTE 50!
The Loneliest Road isn't quite as lonely as it once was, but it should still be on the bucket list of every automobile enthusiast, blogs racer, TV personality, Stephen Cox.
I drove more than 1,200 miles this summer on America's “Loneliest Road,” US Route 50 West, as part of https://www.rallynorthamerica.com/ The event itself was remarkable, featuring incredible scenery, a family-like atmosphere with friendly people and a week of immersion in the automotive lifestyle. The rally started in Puebl...
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INDY: USAC MIDGET RACING AT THE BRICKYARD?
Stephen Cox blogs about a new event designed to draw short-track fans back to the mecca of motorsports.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has announced a new event that will be held in the first week of September and hopefully pump up sagging attendance at the Brickyard 400 stock car race. A quarter-mile dirt track will be constructed inside Turn 3 for a USAC midget race,
Speedway president J. Douglas Boles told the Indianapolis Star, “The short track community in a lot of ways is the heart an...
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EMPTY STANDS: IS AUTO RACING DOOMED?
Stephen Cox blogs about the good old days and bringing fans back to tracks.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May 2014
The past few years have brought every gimmick imaginable to auto racing. NASCAR holds races that three people can win. The ever-changing playoff system (a gimmick in itself) functions like an automotive version of musical chairs!
Indycar's gimmicks are even worse. They tried mandating overpriced “body kits” to make their field of 33 identical Dallara chassis look like some...
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KEEP ON TRUCKIN’: ‘74 INTERNATIONAL VS. ‘75 FORD F150!
Racer Stephen Cox blogs about trucks before they became collectibles.
It's no secret that vintage pickup trucks are the latest rage in collectible vehicles. They are inexpensive to restore, utterly reliable, born with a lengthy shelf life and they are enormously popular right now. If a collectible truck is on your wish list, here's what you should know about two mainstay pickups from the 1970s.
‘74 International Pickup
When I began racing d...
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TRIUMPH SQUARE BARREL: A 500-CC TWIN FOR ALL SEASONS!
From WWII bomber to Grand Prix Winner, Triumph’s Twin was an incredibly flexible engine, blogs Stephen Cox.
Triumph took the world by storm in 1938 with its its Speed Twin, the first of the great British parallel twin street motorcycles. But their enthusiasm – and sales – were cut short by World War II, which began the following September.
Triumph engineers quickly adjusted to wartime production by re-designing the Speed Twin's excellent 500-cc power plant as a portable generator for milita...
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PLYMOUTH SUPERBIRD: THE RICHARD PETTY CONNECTION!
Our man on the track, Stephen Cox, talks with Richard Petty about his connection to the winged Superbird.
It has been claimed that Plymouth's legendary winged ‘70 Superbird was the brainchild of NASCAR champion Richard Petty. The rumor has been around for decades but I've never found anyone with first-hand knowledge who could absolutely confirm or deny that the car's origins truly began with The King of Stock Car Racing.
But opportunity knocked a couple of weeks ago when Petty was in attend...
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INDYCAR: SO YOU WANT TO DRIVE THE INDY 500?
We've suspected this for many years and now it's official. The Indianapolis 500 is no longer a reasonable aspiration for most racing drivers, blogs Stephen Cox.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) president Doug Boles was kind enough to talk with me briefly at the annual PRI trade show in Indy. I asked him what his plan was to increase the number of entries at the Indianapolis 500. His answer took me by surprise.
“We grew up falling in love with the sport when you had that number of ent...
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RACING’S GREATEST UPSETS: 1966 TRANS-AM ENDURO!
Stephen Cox blogs about Shelby American’s legendary Group 2 Mustang racers, Part 3 of 3.
John McComb ordered a new car for 1967. The choice was easy. Given his success in the 1966 Group 2 Mustang, he ordered a new notchback for 1967 to pick up where he left off with the Shelby program. The ‘67 Mustang was the model’s first major redesign and the car gained both size and weight. McComb didn’t care for either.
“Even though the ’67 car had a wider track, it was a heavier car, so I don’t really...
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