Prop Rods were big around here in the 1959-1960 era.
The club had a "track" in the back of the hobby shop. A hole was drilled in the concrete floor, a threaded sleeve cemented in, and a bicycle front axle was screwed in. The bridle was then attached to a ball bearing assembly. The cable was .027", which seems big, but a 10-foot circle can build up a lot G, even with 1/2A's.
For those of you getting into prop rods, don't underestimate the anchor it takes to hold one down. Some of our homemade home "test tracks" failed when an .049 dragged more weight than you could imagine.
The "wheel drive" cars never worked. Running a wheel at engine RPM was impossible, unless maybe you could throw it a 100 MPH to get it going.