When Rodney Morgan won his heat and led every lap of the feature en route to the win, controversy ensued for the right-front cantilever suspension he had installed just before. The IMCA modified victory occurred on July 8 at Afton Motorsports Park in New York.
“We did not see anything in the IMCA rules that said we couldn’t have a cantilever front shock suspension, so we put one on,” said Morgan’s car builder Jared Spalding, of Alpha Chassis in Troy, Pennsylvania. “Our changes were a test to see if a cantilever right-front suspension would be an advantage.”
Many argued it helped propel Morgan to the win. Spalding remained skeptical.
“As for performance, we do not know if it was an advantage,” Spalding said. “The car has six nights on it, and has performed well every time.”
Spalding added that the cantilever design does affect the motion ratio of the shock absorber.
“A cantilever suspension could make the shock more or less effective, depending upon the ratio,” said Spalding. “On Rodney’s car, it gave us more clearance for the front suspension.”
Despite the unconventional suspension design, the officials at Afton Motorsports Park did not disqualify Morgan in tech.
“Because Rodney dominated, it grabbed everyone’s attention,” Spalding said. “Nevertheless, I’ve spent the majority of my days since the win debating the legality.”
Dave Brenn, Executive Director of Competition for IMCA, offered his take.
“The cantilever front suspension is not legal,” said Brenn. “Our modified rules specifically say that there has to be one welded shock mount on the lower A-frame.”
Brenn then delved into their reasoning.
“We have been around the block on this issue several times,” Brenn said. “It goes back to [1991 IMCA national modified champion] Wayne Larson, and a few guys in Texas. We felt that the use of cantilever front suspension is overcomplicating the car for no good reason. Spalding is a chassis, shock, and engine builder. He understands and has a grasp on this concept. We don’t [want] everyone to chase this idea thinking it is a dominant piece needed to be competitive.”
Morgan will go back to the more conventional modified front suspension for this week’s races.
“It is the short-arm, long-arm suspension with the shock mounted to the lower control arm and the upper frame,” said Spalding.
Despite the controversy surrounding the cantilever suspension, Jared Spalding still enjoys racing and building IMCA modifieds.
“It is great that you can show up at tracks, from New York to California, and the rules are the same across the country,” Spalding said. “If the tech directors decide it is ultimately illegal to have a right-front cantilever suspension, so be it.”
Outside Groove Note of Transparency: Corrected the spelling of David Brenn’s name (2023-07-13).
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
