FROM OFFY 110s TO COMPACT SPRINTS: THE HISTORY OF THE USAC MIDGET NAME
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
The term “midget” to identify the racecars smallest in stature among USAC’s National lineup seems as if it never went by another name. They’ve always been known as “midgets,” or so many people would be led to believe.
However, there was a time at the start of the 1960 season where the use of “midget” fell out of favor as the term of choice, first to the “Offy 110 Division” for a six-plus year span between 1960 and 1966.
The reason given at the time for the change in 1960 was to give the public a better understanding of what type of race they could expect when they saw it advertised. Per a story from the April 28, 1960 USAC News, reportedly, there was considerable confusion over the name with such cars as the micro midget, 1/4 midget, 1/2 midget and 3/4 midget gaining more prominence at the dawn of the decade.
And with more than 95% of the midgets registered with USAC in 1960 being powered by 110 cubic inch Offenhauser engines, the name of the series was altered to represent that fact. Although, the exact limit was 109.999 cubic inches, but that name would have been considered to unwieldy to place on the advertising signs in front of the racetrack, and a little bit too much of a mouthful for even the most experienced announcer to enunciate.
In an issue of USAC News from June 16, 1966, it was reported that the name Offy 110 division was swapped out for “Compact Sprint.” This move was brought about due to the increase in cubic inches in excess of 110, and the use of the Offy 110 moniker was now considered outdated.
“We aren't running midgets in the common use of that word in today's racing,” said Henry Banks at the time, USAC's Director of Competition back then. “These cars are actually Compact Sprints, and that's what they'll be known as from now on in our racing.”
“Compact Sprint” as the name for USAC’s Midget division proved to be even more short lived, just a half a year. In the offseason meetings between the end of the 1966 and the start of the 1967 season, the name was discarded in favor of returning to “Midgets” due to the confusion of what a Compact Sprint actually was, with the media quite frequently truncating the “Compact Sprint” name to “Sprint” in their race reports.
The term USAC National “Midget” division officially returned in time for the 1967 season, and henceforth, has never wavered since that point in time, and thankfully, has no plans to change anytime soon.
Posted below are the original announcements of the previous name changes for the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship during the era between 1960 and 1967, and how they originally appeared in USAC News at the time.
-----------------------------------------------
APRIL 28, 1960
USAC MIDGETS CHANGE NAME TO OFFY 100 DIVISION
The name midget is being changed to give the public a better understanding of what type of race they can expect, when they see it advertised.
There is considerable confusion over the name, with such cars as the micro midget, 1/4 midget, 1/2 midget and 3/4 midget.
The midget of today is a far cry from the midget of yesterday in many ways. The midget of today is a very highly engineered piece of racing equipment.
At the present time, more than 95% of the midgets registered with USAC are powered by 110 cubic inch Offenhauser engines.
(The exact limit is 109.999) This does not mean that other engines are not welcome. The contrary is true.
There will be no changes in the present rules or specifications. Only the name has been changed. Effective immediately, the official title will be the 110 Offenhauser Division of the United States Auto Club.
-----------------------------------------------
JUNE 16, 1966
USAC OFFY 110 DIVISION CHANGES NAME TO COMPACT SPRINTS
Progress has caught up with USAC's Offy 110 Midget division.
“We aren't running midgets in the common use of that word in today's racing,” said Henry Banks, USAC's Director of Competition. “These cars are actually Compact Sprints, and that's what they'll be known as from now on in our racing.”
“The word ‘midget’ today is very confusing to the public. There are quarter-midgets, half-midgets, three-quarter midgets. Twenty years ago, when I was racing midgets, that confusion didn't exist. Today, the Compact Sprint is a far cry from the midgets as we used to know them.”
Banks went on to point out that today's Compact Sprint, which has been running under the Offy 110 banner, is a highly specialized machine packing a 110 cubic inch overhead cam or 150 cubic inch rocker arm power plant into a 72-inch frame. That is just a shade smaller than the regular USAC sprinter that uses a 255 overhead cam or 305 rocker arm engine in an 86-inch frame.
The wheels of the Compact Sprint are 12 inches as opposed to the 16-inch wheels used on the standard size sprinter.
“Our compact sprints,” said Bob Stroud, supervisor of the division, “are consistently outrunning the modified sprints of other circuits and are a much more highly refined machine and specially built. You will find workmanship in these cars that rivals that of the Championship cars in USAC racing today.”
So, the long illustrious racing history of the USAC midgets will continue under a new banner ... COMPACT SPRINTS .
That's progress.
-----------------------------------------------
FEBRUARY 2, 1967
USAC OFFY 110 DIVISION CHANGES NAME TO COMPACT SPRINTS
In the course of their meeting, the board accepted the recommendations made by the Rules Committee in their meeting the day before. They also voted to return to the use of the name "Midgets," and drop the use of "Compact Sprints," the feeling being that it was confusing since the news media often dropped the word "Compact,” thus making it a sprint race and confusing it with another division.