Posts Tagged ‘nascar’

A History of Speed: Street Racing

Monday, December 29th, 2008

For every conversation about auto racing, even when it involves the discussion of those practiced professionals who do it for the sport of it all and the joy of competition, street racing inevitably falls into the mix. Are auto racers setting bad examples for young people with their high speeds and flashy cars? Or should any idiot who tries street racing simply know better? My vote is for the latter…

Street racing is illegal just about anywhere legislators have a brain. People have died in street races, with the innocent bystanders and other drivers the most likely to get hurt by the mindless process. 

Street racing takes place on public roads and involves cars driven by morons going speeds they have no business going. As we enter 2009, we need to make sure that we do whatever we can to stop street racing in our towns and cities and support legislation that provides tracks and facilities for these idiots to race their brains out in safety awayfrom the rest of us.

There is even a sense of language in street racing. A “dig” refers to participants toeing a line and getting set to start the insanity. A “roll” is when a race starts at non-zero speed, in others words it refers to a rolling start. 

If you or someone you know it into street racing, it is important to realize how dangerous it can be. It is much, much better for you, your friends, your family, and the innocent people around you that you stick to watching racing like ARCA Racing at Cherry Hill or NASCAR. At the very least, crash your Topaz on a legally-sanctioned track that offers amateur nuts the chance to race.

A History of Speed: Rally Racing

Friday, December 26th, 2008

In the opinion of this author, one of the most exciting forms of auto racing is rally racing. Rallying typically involves two classes of car: modified Group A cars exclusively designed for auto racing on the road and Group N cars that are essentially base production cars with few to no modifications.

Rallying takes place on closed roads unless you’re in a James Bond movie. It involves participants racing to a particular point on the road and leaving in regular intervals from set start points. There are usually a number of stages over a set piece of terrain, with entrants usually allowed to scout the track ahead of time to get familiar with the racing grounds.

Rallying often takes place on roads that are quite beautiful and there is a certain element of danger to it that normal auto racing on tracks does not hold. The art of careening down a windy side road or pushing through mud or dirt to get to a finish line may be a harrowing experience for the average driver, but the mentally-tough rally drivers enjoy every minute and so do the spectators.

Whether you’re into rally racing or NASCAR, Indy or Turnersville ARCA Racing, you’ll be sure to find something you like here. Bookmark us today and don’t miss a minute of the action!

A History of Speed: Stock Car Racing

Monday, December 22nd, 2008

One of the most popular sports in the United States is stock car racing. In terms of viewers and ratings on television, there is no form of auto racing that is more popular in America. There are also significant followings for stock car racing in the United Kingdom and in other parts of Europe as well, but many people consider it to be an almost exclusively American form of entertainment.

Stock car racing is usually done on oval tracks with cars that resemble production cars. They are not single-seater vehicles, although there typically only one driver in the vehicle during a race. The name “stock car” racing came from the notion that the cars more closely resembled production cars and were actually driven to the race. Now that cars are more likely to be put in a trailer and driven to the race by a truck or other vehicle, the name “stock car” racing isn’t necessarily applicable.

The most popular form of stock car racing is, of course, NASCAR. The Sprint Cup Series is the most popular “series” in NASCAR, with the most famous race being the Daytona 500 or the Brickyard 400. 

Along with NASCAR, ARCA Racing at Lumberton and other tracks uses stock cars and stock car racing regulations during its racing season.