The Car

AMCM cars are dedicated racing machines, with all chassis, suspension, and brake components designed from the beginning to be for race cars. All of these components are shared with those used in the circle track racing world, meaning they are both more durable and cheaper then the parts used in traditional sports cars. In spite of this, AMCM cars are relatively light, at 2830lbs including the driver. Coupled with 500 thundering V8 horses at the rear tires, the acceleration rate is stunning. An AMCM car with driver has a weight to power ratio 30% better than that of a C8 Corvette!

Here’s some video reels of our race weekends to get the blood pumping!

2022 Spring Shootout 2022 Mother In Law Shootout 2021 Summer Shootout

Chassis

Late model stock car, super late model stock car TA2, GTA, ASA, Nascar chassis…what do all these mean and how do I make one into an AMCM car? Let’s try to sort that out.

There are many companies that make chassis for circle track and road racing purposes that are all similar but far from the same. The differences come not only from the preferences of the companies themselves, but also what series they intended the chassis for, as different series had and have different requirements. So, while Howe has made and makes many chassis, they are not all the same. All of those chassis for all of those different series have a few things in common, and some important differences.

Fundamentally, they are all full tube frame chassis using rectangular frame rails and a series of round tubes to create the needed safety cage, suspension and drivetrain mounting locations, and provide proper chassis stiffness. The biggest difference between chassis is whether it is symmetric along the front rear centerline (referred to as “perimeter frame”), or it was built with the intent of only turning left and therefore everything to the right of the centerline has been designed intentionally to push weight towards the left side of the car (referred to as “offset” or “straight rail”).

This is a front ¾ view of Howe’s current TA2 road racing chassis. Notice the rectangular frame rail bends outwards where the red arrow points, creating the perimeter of the safety structure. In an offset or straight rail chassis, this right side frame rail would continue straight, or mostly straight, towards the rear of the car and the safety cage would be much narrower than a perimeter chassis, resulting in much more weight on the left side of the car. In some cases, the entire right side of the chassis including the suspension mounting locations can be fabricated to be offset in order to drive that weight farther to the left. The short answer then is that for AMCM road racing purposes, a perimeter frame car is the right choice and even then one needs to be careful that the chassis is symmetric.

Another major difference is in suspension designs and use of steel vs aluminum. Many circle track series run rear truck arms, not a three link rear suspension. Truck arm chassis will have tubes and mounting locations in the back half of the car that are substantially different than they would need to be for a three link. Also, Nascar style chassis as well as other “stock” series have rear frame rails that bend up and over the rear axle assembly and use a lot of steel for rear wheel tubs and bulkheads whereas the chassis for other series have rear frame rails under the rear axle assembly, no wheel tubs and thin aluminum sheets for isolating the driver’s compartment. Up front, series like Nascar use steering boxes instead of rack and pinion, and lower control arms with separate springs and shocks (sometimes referred to as “big spring” setups) instead of coil overs. Of course a Nascar chassis is legal for AMCM, but it would be at a performance disadvantage due to weight and suspension geometry. This is all just steel tubing, sheet metal work, and inexpensive suspension parts, so it can be corrected in order to optimize to AMCM, but that adds cost and complexity to the build so likely the better answer is to start with a chassis that doesn’t need that additional work.

The last big difference to consider is how much work will be involved in installing an AMCM legal Camaro/Mustang/Challenger body. Many older chassis have the A pillar bars starting at the point in the picture above where the blue arrow is pointing. Notice how much farther forward that is compared to Howe’s current road race chassis. Many of the chassis manufacturers began building their circle track chassis with what effectively is the firewall much farther back a few years ago. This enables bodies with a longer hood line and a shorter roof line. The problem for the older chassis is the new style bodies dont fit, as the A pillar bars, once they are above the door bars, are simply too far forward. This results in the need to make modifications by cutting out and installing new bars in the top front area of the chassis greenhouse. Of course, this is perfectly legal from a safety point of view, and the work itself is not complex for fabricators, but it is not the type of work that just anyone with a welder should attempt.

Beyond those primary difference, there are of course many smaller differences including exactly where all of the support tubes start and end, exactly where the springs/shocks connect to the chassis, etc. In the big scheme of things those are small differences that can be worked out with either suspension adjustments or small changes to the chassis itself.

Race Format

AMCM is about racing, but about having fun doing so. Race weekends will have either three or four races, depending on overall event schedule. Either way, the last race of the weekend is the Shootout; the main event worth double points and where driver’s collect any trophies or contingencies that may be available. Starting grid for Shootouts is determined by accumulated points in the two or three previous races of the weekend. AMCM adds excitement by setting inverted grids for races 2 and 3 each weekend. When you’re headed to the start of that invert, you know everybody in front of you is slower than you and you relish the chance to overtake multiple drivers! However…everyone behind you is faster and they’ll be coming like a pack of wild dogs! Inverted start races will redefine how much fun you have behind the wheel. Of course a race weekend is much more than just what happens on the track. AMCM drivers will paddock together, wrench on cars together, and socialize through evening BBQs and fireside bench races that will surely be as loud as the exhausts on the race cars. Between race weekends there will be plenty of online and real life activity for drivers to get advice, support each other in their quest for faster times, and simply enjoy their passion for V8 muscle cars.