Types of Car Racing

Since the invention of the automobile, there has been car racing of all sorts. Racing varies from country to country around the globe, but the need for speed is the same. Several types of racing exist that are vastly different from one another in the cars, the rules, and the form of the race.

  1. Open Seat Racing

    • This type of car racing features vehicles built from the ground up as race cars. They are super lightweight with exposed open wheels and cockpit, and have aerodynamic pieces to give the racer maximum grip. The premiere open seat racing series is the Formula 1 World Championship. This features the world's best drivers competing on the world's top circuits with cars powered by a 2.4-liter V8 engine making approximately 800 horsepower. Other open seat series include the GP2 Championship series, A1 Grand Prix, and the American Indy Car series.

    Rally Racing

    • Rallying uses upgraded production cars racing through closed public roads with surfaces varying from tarmac to gravel to dirt, and possibly snow. Drivers use a co-driver who navigates them through each stage as they compete for the best time. The World Rally Championship, which features 2.0 liter turbocharged all-wheel-drive cars, is the most well known rallying series, but many nations have their own national rallying championship.

    Touring Car

    • Popular in Germany and Great Britain, touring car racing uses heavily modified standard production cars to compete. The rules vary depending on the series. Generally, racers may modify the engine, suspension, brakes, and aerodynamics while keeping the basic shell of the car intact. Along with traditional sprint races, touring cars take part in endurance races that can take as long as 24 hours. Notable touring car series include the German DTM series, British Touring Car Championship series, and the World Touring Car Championship series.

    Stock Car Racing

    • Stock car racing is popular in the United States with the NASCAR series. Stock cars are purpose-built race cars based on production vehicles and are all similar in construction. Unlike the other racing series, these races usually run on oval tracks. Other stock cars series include the NASCAR Busch series and Craftsman Truck series.

    Drag Racing

    • Drag racing pits two cars against each other on a short, straight track and tasks them with covering the distance, usually about a quarter mile, in the shortest time. Drag racers usually have massive engines and put out a lot of power, sometimes upwards of 1,000 horsepower, and require parachutes to stop after their run. The National Hot Rod Association oversees the top drag racing series in the United States.