Is direct drive legal? Or has it ever been?

The boxes used to be sealed and distributed by the track, but the problem is resistors in the wiring come into play as well and wiring with various resistance can be bought, so the limiters arent an accurate way to keep the rpm in check.......if you have a gm 8.5" there should be some s.s teams with gears kicking around from the pre 9" days, unless the truck 8.5" is a little different? not sure on that. Direct drive isnt legal, i think hes just talking about final drive......Why cant your transmission be run in 2nd?

Is direct drive legal? Or has it ever been?

It was in Super Stock, for two whole seasons.  I ran one.  I think Sid ran one in the 'glass car for testing.  And then they banned that for no reason other than "too hard to tech" (I don't see how, it's a steel tube bolted to the flywheel), flushing all the money I put into the drivetrain down the toilet.  So I switched to Trucks.  The irony.

if you have a gm 8.5" there should be some s.s teams with gears kicking around from the pre 9" days, unless the truck 8.5" is a little different? not sure on that. Direct drive isnt legal, i think hes just talking about final drive......Why cant your transmission be run in 2nd?

It can be, I suppose, if I could find a 5.14 gear for an 8.5.  The one time I tried putting it in second gear it made a whole lot of funny noises though.  😀

I think you should just quit racing tiger. Go growl at people in hockey.