I want ISMA to have van classes and I'm not even joking.

I mean the Vette vs. the Ford GT may be interesting, but the LS powered Express versus the V6 Ecoboost Transit allows for a better chance to win on Sunday, sell on Monday. Toss in the FWD subcompact class with a 2.0T Chevy City express, 2.0L EB Transit Connect, have Nissan enter their small NV with their 2.0 turbo lump. Bonus level of difficulty, any sets of wheels and tires to be utilized during the race have to be secured in the van prior to taking the green flag, meaning when you pit for tires, the over the wall gang has to pull the wheel and tire sets from the back of the van. The opportunities for liveries and sponsorship exposure on the rolling billboards would be fantastic. and I feel that the classes would attract sponsors who wouldn't otherwise consider backing a racing effort, such as florist, courier services, Uber Eats, and airport shuttle company, shipping and logistic companies.

I like this!!!!

A track filled with vans, all wearing foot wide box flares to account for the track width needed for proper stability. This could be very very cool.

Carbon roof, lexan windows, they won't be any tippier than the Formula Trucks. Who do we know at IMSA? Let's do this!

I could get behind this idea.

I vote for a spec race series: Super Dajiban.

UPS livery would be funny. Not sure why, but I'd root for them over Fedex or DHL.

Oh captain my captain!

I caught some pictures this weekend of Team HMA and their #hotrodyssey running with Grid Life. It looks like a hoot.

Sounds like a good conversation to have with them while out in Leguna Seca in a few weeks. I'll wait till about the 3rd beer in so it'll sound a little more viable.

Big boxy vehicle equals LOTS of drafting potential.

I had a 6.0 Chevy express once, i now have an ecoboost transit. All my money is on the transit for the win.

What took so long for this idea to come up?!

In reply to Rufledt:

to be fair, the current generation Express and Transit offerings are the first ones that have solid enough steering feel for it to be considered. Their drivetrains have always been decent, but they've been handicapped by scary steering, questionable transmissions and underwhelming brakes in previous generations. Though the steering on the current crop would never be mistaken for an Evo 9, it's competent and they go where you direct them without inches of steering wheel play leading to a series of small corrections that plagued vans of decades past. Sticky rubber, ducting, stainless lines, aggressive pads and good fluid would likely make the brake performance suitable. It's interesting to me that you think the Ecoboost Transit would win, I thought that I'd prefer the Transit, and I do as a place to sit and spend time, however I found the transmission in the Express made better use of it's power then the transmission in the Transit, even when in "manual mode" that being said, in a racing application, I'd expect their gear ratios to be revised and a full sequential box to be developed.

I've always heard the big wigs at Nascar spout their philosophy that "We race what people drive on the street." If that were really true, there would be a division of SUVs and/or minivans riding around the racetracks of America already. Even SCCA went truck racing for a while. I can't believe someone, somewhere hasn't jumped on this idea. Imagine all the space for advertising your sponsor logo. Talk about a rolling billboard. Bonus points for starting the race with a bag of groceries and all the items are still in the bag at the finish.

So now vans (mini and fs) won't be just associated with nerds, creeps, soccer moms and rapists?

ISMA is this...

IMSA is this...

Pretty different series.

In reply to sesto elemento:

To someone with dyslexia it's all racecar.

IMSA tried B-spec, and no one showed up.

No one likes to watch race cars go slow as spectator sport

Jaynen wrote: No one likes to watch race cars go slow as spectator sport

Unless they spinout and make contacts.. then people will like it..

In reply to sesto elemento:

I need to know more about ISMA...

The only things that would make this even MORE of a ridiculous idea than it already is would be if the mini mommy vans were required to carry at least one reverse facing child seat, "Baby on Board" signs in both rear side windows, and rear hatch stickers alluding to the driver's daughter's prowess at soccer ! !

In reply to Woody:

They are called super modifieds, and they are terrifying and awesome.

captdownshift wrote: In reply to sesto elemento: To someone with dyslexia it's all racecar.

Woody wrote: In reply to sesto elemento: I need to know more about ISMA...

They are ridiculously fast. They'll be at Thompson next month if you wanted to see them run.

Though the steering on the current crop would never be mistaken for an Evo 9, it's competent and they go where you direct them without inches of steering wheel play leading to a series of small corrections that plagued vans of decades past.

I'm not disagreeing with you but i've recently been working on and driving a 1994 Dodge B250 and with no modifications other than 245/60/15 tires i'm surprised how much less it sucks to turn than i thought it would.