The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Running an engine without exhaust....Risky?

I'm with Alvin and others on this one, myth busted. Aircraft engines aside. My Dad ran dirt track cars in the late 70's and like everyone else ran with only headers...no exhaust. Depending on how we ran, if we lasted late in the season, we were racing in late October and I remember sitting in the stands freezing my butt off. Never an issue. I'm thinking the myth got started when someone was cleaning up the shop with compressed air and shot a blast up a hot manifold and maybe bent a valve. Unless the Professor comes up with some good Physics/thermodynamics here, one less thing to worry about. Keep calm on bolt on !