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Speed, competition and an enthusiasm for real cars on race tracks: This is what street car racing is all about. But when engines start to rev and the flag waver takes their marks, only one thing radiates from the street car racing enthusiast: pure exhilaration.

Street car racing is irrefutably gaining popularity as a sport; and while it takes its roots from a simpler mode of automobile racing which began in France during the late nineteenth century, it has evolved into a prevalent pastime in countries across the world. The United States, Australia, Brazil, Japan and much of Europe – among countless others – currently rank street car racing as a highly competitive sport.

Traditionally a domain of large, American cars with big block high capacity engines, street car racing on proper race tracks, now thrives with various types of vehicles contending. Recent trends have been towards cars of a lighter frame and hence, greater ‘moveability’. That being said, the sport of street racing has taken many forms. Recent films like ‘The Fast And The Furious’ and ‘Initial D’ have publicised the thrill of ‘drifting’, while drag racing still remains the predominant form of street car racing.

In drag racing, participants start the race from either a ‘dig’ or a ‘roll’ – the first method involving a stationary bumper-to-bumper drag race line up, while the second involves an initial ‘moving’ lineup at about 50 mph. Either way, drag-racing vehicles range from everyday cars to custom ‘dragsters’ built specifically for the purpose of accelerating as fast as mechanically possible.

Different people take an interest in street car racing for many different reasons: some are fascinated by the looks or construction of the vehicles and the motors themselves, while others simply love the thrill of racing, either as a participant or a spectator. Whatever the motives, the street car racing community is a large one – and one which seems destined to grow.

While street racing is largely illegal in most parts of the world today, there are many legitimate motoring events around the world that provide modified street cars or standard road going production cars the opportunity to race against one another or against the clock in well organized events on specifically designed race tracks and which ensure all safety precautions are maintained and appropriate safe racing practices applied.

When it comes to accessing legitimate information on street car racing, today’s motoring enthusiasts have countless resources to turn to. Dotted around the internet there are various online motoring forums [http://www.motoraddicts.com] which function solely to cater for the motoring and street car racing community by indulging and informing this growing group of petrol heads with a variety of interesting features, from blogs and photos to news and information on upcoming events and appropriate racing environments. Information is also easily available regarding all track legal racing and motor clubs in local areas. True motor aficionados can also find information on the technical specifications of cars such as drivability, fuel-economy, on-track performance, engineering or frame design by consulting with other online specialists. With so many different online motoring groups catering for general as well as specific niche subjects, current car enthusiasts are able to connect with other like minded fans that are just as passionate about lean, mean motor vehicles as themselves.

So anyone tempted to get an eyeful of remarkably built vehicles or to experience the sheer thrill of speed and competition by ripping down the drag strip, the street car racing scene is sure to deliver; after all, when the flag comes into sight and the engine begins to rev, there’s no looking back; in fact, there is only one way to go; foot to the floor, full speed ahead.

By: Andrew Regan

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Just how fast can Indy cars go? Well, to give you an idea, Indy cars can make it down the length of a football field plus some in less then one second. Jet airliners takeoff speeds are between 160 to 180 miles per hour. Throw some flaps or slats and a pair of wings on an Indy car, point it into the wind and there would be take off; that is how fast Indy cars can go.

Back in 1911 Ray Harroun won the very first Indianapolis 500 averaging just a hair under 75 mph. However, how fast can an Indy car go today? The average speeds of Indy cars today range from 185 to speeds over 230 miles per hour. Qualifying speeds range from 215 to 227 miles per hour. The lowest qualifying speed was recorded back in 1912 when Theodore Pilette ran 75.52 mph for a quarter mile. Back then, you had to run at least 75 mph in a quarter mile to qualify. Kenny Brack did the fastest speed recorded in qualifications at 227.598 mph in a quarter in 2005, followed up by Billy Boat in 2002, running a quarter at 226.589.

So when you ask how fast can Indy Cars go, think of this. Indy cars can accelerate from zero to 100 mph in less than three seconds and use up a gallon of gas in less then two miles. Drivers experience G-force while driving through turns on the track equal to what the space shuttle leaves a launching pad. At speeds of 220 miles per hour, Indy cars generate 5000 pounds of down force. At that speed the tread on the racing tires turn to tar like consistency helping car to adhere to the track.

Indy cars have evolved through time to higher levels of sophistication. In the beginning of the 20th century, speeds of 125 mph on the track where considered impressive. Rules have been modified as technology has improved with racing organizations ensuring the safety of both the drivers and the fans. With the strict rules and regulations, today’s Indy cars are far safer then their earlier counter parts such as the roadsters designs.

In 2010, the Indy Racing League will be implementing new engine rules that will allow the return of turbocharged engines that will have a output of about 750 horsepower ; having either 4 or 6 cylinders. Current specifications in regulations are an output of 650 HP. The 3.5 liter Indy cars on a average produce more then 675 horsepower which is four times more then your average car. So when you question how fast can Indy cars go, averaging 220 mph is pretty fast, but we can expect to see even quicker acceleration and speeds on the raceways in the near future.

By: Wendy Pan

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With fourteen races already in the books in the 2007 Nextel Cup Series, Chevrolet cars are still dominating the field with thirteen wins. The only other car to finish at this year’s Nextel Cup is Matt Kenseth’s Number 17 Ford at the Auto Club 500, the second race of the season. From that race through the Ponoco 500 held at the Pocono Raceway, the Chevrolet Impalas have won every race.

The Dodge Avenger NASCAR car though is making a challenge to the domination of Chevrolet with back-to-back second place for Ryan Newman who is driving the Number 12 Dodge Avenger.

At the Pocono 500, the Dodge cars fielded for this year’s Nextel Cup Series has been fitted with new noses in the hope that the change will give Dodge its first win of the season. Unfortunately though, critics pointed out that the new nose installed may have cost Dodge a win at the race.

Mike Accavitti, the Director of the Dodge Brand and SRT Marketing and Communication, has this to say about the new nose having put them behind the competition: “We tested the nose together several times last year. We all came to a conclusion. We all reached an agreement that it was the right thing to do. Every team had an input and every team agreed to that. When we put the nose on the car, it affected the suspension setup more on those downforce tracks than we had anticipated. It’s taken a little while to get our arms around what the issues were and get some action plans in place.”

Accavitti also pointed out that aside from focusing on the performance of their current cars, they are also exerting effort on improving their performance of the Car of Tomorrow which is also known as the COT. “At the same time, we’re trying to figure out the COT, so that’s really what kind of got us behind the 8 ball. We feel like we’re really picking up some steam now in our performance, average finish performance is showing it,” he said.

One of the most promising young drivers this season driving a Dodge is Kasey Kahne. The 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Rookie of the Year has not finished in the top ten since the first race of the season. Normally, it would cause for concern for Dodge. Accavitti though is confident that Kahne has what it takes to perform well for the remainder of the season. “Kasey is the real deal. We have the utmost faith in Kasey and the Evernham Motorsports Organization. They’re a class act team, and they’re going to do what they need to do to get Kasey back in victory lane,” says Accavitti.

While Kasey Kahne is struggling, Ryan Newman, another Dodge driver, is performing well. He seems to be coasting in the most recent races of the season as if he is driving a Dodge cold air intake system-equipped Dodge Charger. Accavitti addressed the success of Newman compared to the lackluster performance of other Dodge cars saying: “This is one of the biggest issues we’ve had. We can go incredibly fast as a group for one lap. We saw this actually last year. Last year the hypothesis was that it’s a clean air issue.”

With the Dodge cars receiving modifications and improving their performance, it would be easy to believe that a Dodge victory will be coming soon.

By: Ryan Thomas

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The rainy days can either be fun or not. When you have your RC car, truck or plane out in the pavement, track or field, the last thing that you need is for the heavens to pour its water over you. But don’t blame the heavens if it rain. For all you know, rain can be a good thing for other people. The point in racing RC cars is that keeping it in good condition at all times, no matter the weather, is a top responsibility by the owner.

Keeping a good performing RC car is not very hard to do. Though it can take most of your time for doing it, if you look at your work in the end, you won’t regret it in any way. There are several things which you need to check on, and this concerns the wheels because it is in contact to the wet ground. The front spindles should be checked first and if there is any slop on the wheels, clean it out. Checking also the tightness of the wheels after it got wet is important. Check the wheels, shake it and if you think its loose, go ahead and pad or shim it then replace if necessary.

As for cleanliness, check the ball stud or also called the ball cup for any excess dirt. This is the part of your RC car that keeps a lot of unnecessary dirt and when it rains, it doesn’t make your cleaning job any easier. Since dust, heat and rain wears this part of your RC car, you might want to check this area regularly and see if its needed for replacement.

Since there are parts of your car that are made out of plastic and metal, be concerned with the plastic made parts more. They are prone to easy wear, tear and cracks. Replace any part that are in this condition. The metal parts are not an exception, do check them as well.

When you check all these, you wouldn’t be worried much of your next race or run outside – even if it rains.

By: Shareen Aguilar

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Merchandise nascar refers to the memorabilia related to the nascar sport that people love to buy and collect. These merchandise nascar could be miniature car figurines or flags boasting various teams colors or maybe a jersey worn by a driver. These collectibles sell like hot cakes and are always in demand among people of all age groups. For those who enjoy racing or are fond of cars, they will definitely want a piece of merchandise nascar in their home or office. Some people are so crazy about racing that they go to any lengths to pick up one of these collectibles. Available at leading stores, these are worth quite a lot and are not very cheap. Only people who can indulge in a bit of fancy shopping will buy these art pieces. A Jeff Green T shirt or Mark Martin’s car would be what people would seek to help them reminisce the days when these drivers ruled the race tracks. For car race lovers, there is no end to satisfying their thirst for love for this sport. Just like basketball fan and baseball fans buy and wear the jerseys and caps, these car race enthusiasts also do the same. The only difference being the sport is different.

Some might have a checkered flag in their bedroom, others might want a flag with the team’s name written on it put up on their walls. Children who are fond of this racing, are known to invest in buying game Cd’s and books containing pictures of various drivers and their fancy cars. There are even nascar blankets, bed linen available which are used to decorate a room. Matching pillows or maybe a rug would complete the collection and make the room nascar haven. Some of the sports enthusiasts are known to have a play room which boasts all their memorabilia and souvenirs of the various races that have taken place till date. If a particular driver won a championships by a smart move, then pictures of those might be in demand.

People sometimes go to the extent of having nascar bean bags in their play area, where they can lounge and enjoy a race on their flat screen TV’s. Some might have wall hangings with photographs or autographed pictures of their favorite drivers. This holds true not only for men but also women who love owning a merchandise nascar. They might pick up a bracelet with the symbol of their team on it, or a watch with their racer’s picture or colors in it. For others there are board games available where each player gets to be a race car driver, and this adds to the excitement of the game. There are many other utility based merchandise nascar like a timer which can be used by athletes to practice their runs or home makers at home while cooking. It does not matter what it is, as long as it has something to do with their team or racer, that is all that matters.

By: Cassaundra Flores

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Does the thought of watching a great car race make your heart accelerate? Do you live to enjoy the thrill of speed? Maybe you just appreciate the design of great sports cars. Whatever the case may be, you can be sure that somewhere along the line, you have heard about or seen some great and historic Ford race cars!

Automotive racing has been a very popular sport ever since the first automobiles were designed over 100 years ago. Actually, it was because of car racing that many of todays automakers exist. Automotive designers would try to create faster and more efficient vehicles by testing their ideas in races against other designers. Henry Ford entered one such event with his unique, early “Model T” design and won, investing the prize winnings into the company that would become the Ford Motor Company. From this humble beginning, many historic Ford race cars would be born.

Ford racing would become a company to contend with as they produced one winning design after another. Here are just some of the historic Ford race cars:

*In 1903, Barney Oldfield drove the Ford 999 to victory at the Indiana Fairgrounds, and set a new speed record of 60 mph.

*In 1909, the Ford Model T shows its endurance as it wins a cross-country race from New York to Seattle.

*In 1949, the first national NASCAR race was won by Ford driver Jim Roper in a new car model called the Lincoln.

In the 1960’s, Ford would reach the height of racing, as they would produce several cutting edge designs, including:

*In 1963, the Ford-Lotus design would win the Milwaukee 200, driven by Jim Clark.

*In 1964, Ford would introduce a new style of Indy car engine known as the DOHC V-8.

*In 1966, the Ford model Mark II’s would place 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the 24 hours of Lemans race.

*In 1967, Ford would introduce a new engine in the Dutch Grand Prix, called the Ford-Cosworth DFV V-8.

*In 1968, Ford would introduce a sporty design of its popular Ford Mustang by showcasing the Cobra Jet Mustang at the NRHA Winternationals, winning its first event.

The 1980’s would see a resurgence of the popular Ford Mustang as the Miller Mustang would win two races in 1981. Ford would also become competitive with the Thunderbird model as driver Bill Elliott would win a record 11 NASCAR races in 1985. In 1988, Bill Elliott would continue winning in the Ford Thunderbird by taking the NASCAR Winston Cup championship.

Ford continues to produce new and innovative ideas as they design cars for the future. In the early 2000’s, the Ford Taurus model challenged the field, being driven by the Rousch racing team including some of todays championship drivers like Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch. If the future is anything like the past, Ford will continue to produce many historic Ford race cars.

By: Wendy Pan

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Weight is one of the most important issues to consider when building a fast car for road or track.
Putting a car on a serious diet is pretty much free horsepower, as any attempt to lighten a car improves the power to weight ratio, this seriously improves acceleration.

The gains on a lightening a car are huge and not just limited to gains in acceleration either. Once you have lightened a fast car you will find the car performs better in the corners and under braking, parts such as brakes and tires will last longer on the car also.

The potential gains are huge but it must be done correctly, you would not want to lighten a rear wheel drive car too much on the rear or you may find traction a problem particularly with a high power output.

The truth is your fast car could be made a great deal faster cheaply and easily just by shaving a few pounds off the body.

How do we remove weight from the fast car?

This bit is as easy as you want it to be, but as with most forms of car modification it depends on how far you want to go. I know a guy who races a BMW and he decided to go all out on weight saving, he even scraped every bit of under-seal from the floors of the car, extreme perhaps but he managed to remove nearly 2 stone of under-seal, not a bad effort.

The obvious place to start saving weight on your fast car is by removing the interior, and anything else that you do not need, the front seats can be replaced with light weight racing items, the unused wiring removed, carpets and sound deadening, pretty much all of the unnecessary parts, my car has just a driver seat and a cage with much of the unnecessary wiring removed. This makes for a car with very impressive performance.

Many other components can be replaced with lighter parts, gear box casings, axle covers etc. It is worth noting that a stainless steel exhaust is lighter than the same in mild steel, so this constitutes a worthwhile investment.

It is also important to reduce the unsprung weight on the car also, by this I mean wheels, brakes and anything else before the suspension mounts, this provides a very good increase in the handling of the car.

By: Gavin Drake

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Drag racing, a contest between two cars starting from dead stop to determine which car can accelerate quicker to a given point. Drag racing started in the 1930’s where competitors raced along desert stretches of road to see who’s hot rod was faster. Over the coming years the sport became more organized and the National Hot Rod Association was formed in 1951. 54 years later, the NHRA is now the largest sanctioning body in motorsports with over 80,000 members.

Most people probably got their start with drag racing on the streets, sitting at a light when your neighbor or friend pulls up, both of you itching for the light to finally turn green so you both can hammer the throttle and see who could get to the next light first. There’s no doubt that it’s exciting, anticipating the green light, just waiting for the right moment to send the tires screeching for traction to get the edge on the car just a few feet to your side.

With improvements in automotive technology and manufacturing, faster and more powerful cars are being released each year. Cars on the low end include the $20,000 Dodge Neon SRT-4, with a 230 horsepower turbocharged engine that can do 0-60 MPH in 5.5 seconds and the 1/4 mile in 13.9 seconds. High-end cars such as the $189,000 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG, with it’s 604 horsepower twin- turbocharged V12 engine can do 0-60 in less than 4 seconds and the 1/4 mile in 11.6 seconds. These cars are made to be fun and exciting, but it’s important to exercise restrain on the city streets with them.

Most people who purchase a high performance vehicle want to take it out and see what it can do, especially against other cars. While it’s tempting to do this on the city streets, it’s also very dangerous. Not only are there severe penalties for drag racing on public roads, it also endangers many others on the street. Many lives have been lost due to drag racing contests on city streets.

There are hundreds of places to test our your car’s performance in a safe and regulated environment, your local Drag Strip. Drag racing facilities are specially equipped for testing how quick you can get your car from 0 to 1320 feet, more commonly known as the 1/4 mile. Most tracks operate in a similar fashion and have special nights set aside for normal street cars to “test and tune” or drag race the 1/4 mile for a nominal fee of $10 – $20. The track will have paramedics and other safety personal ready to respond to any accidents should they occur.

Each car that will be racing is given a tech inspection to make certain that is safe to compete in the 1/4 mile contest. After the car has passed inspection, it’s time to line up and get ready to race. Two cars are signaled by track personnel to pull up to the staging area, a portion of the track used to line up the two cars evenly at the starting line. The Christmas Tree is a setup of lights used to line up both cars and signal the start of the race.

At the top of the Christmas Tree are the Pre-Stage bulbs, as the drivers pull slowly forward to the starting line, they will activate the Pre-Stage bulbs. These bulbs indicate the cars are very close to the starting line. As the drivers continue to move slowly forward, the 2nd set of bulbs, the Stage bulbs will illuminate. When both Pre-Stage and Stage bulbs for both cars are illuminated, the cars are lined up and ready to go. At this point the track personal will activate the Christmas Tree to start the race.

Upon activation, the Christmas Tree will begin flashing a series of lights. Starting from under the Stage bulbs, there are 3 amber lights, followed by a green light, and then finally a red light. Each light is flashed a half-second apart ; amber – amber – amber – green. Once the green lights are on, both cars should be rocketing down the drag strip 1320 feet towards the finish line. If either car leaves the starting line too quickly, the red light is flashed, and that car automatically loses the race.

After passing through the finishing line there will be a long stretch of road to allow the cars to slow down. There are usually a few exits from the track along the way for the cars to turn around and head back to the timeslip booth to pickup a printed ticket containing the details of their race. The timeslip will usually show how long in seconds it took to get to various points down the track; 60′, 330′ , 1000′, and 1320′. It will also data on how fast the car was traveling in MPH at the half-way point (1/8 mile) and finish line (1/4 mile), and of course who won the race.

Racing at the drag strip is a great way to safely and legally test out the capabilities of your car while improving your driving skills at the same time. It’s also a great place to meet up with other people with similar interests. So the next time your sitting at a stop light and the car next to you is instigating you into a drag race by revving his engine, tell ‘em to take it off the street and to the strip!

By: Brooks Weisblat

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People seem to have a love affair with their cars. They do everything that they can to make them not only run great, they do what they can to make them look great too. When it comes to the looks of a car there really isn’t anything that you can do more than adding a custom set of car rims. It sets a car off and really makes it stand out in a crowd.

Adding custom car rims is something that has been done for many years but has certainly gained popularity in recent times. They come all kinds of styles and sizes that are sure to please anyone that is in the market. Most people try to pick a car rim that suits their own individual style and lets their personality and the personality of their car really shine through.

If you are in the market for a custom set of car rims, you may find yourself overwhelmed by all of the choices. If you are having a hard time deciding, then it is often best to break your decision down into smaller groups. Pick a style group that you like so that you can narrow your search down to a smaller number of choices. Then decide on the size that you want. There certainly are a lot of choices when it comes to custom ones, but don’t let that fool you. There is a perfect match out there for you and your car, one that will let your own unique style shine through and will help your car to stand out in a crowd.

The choices that are available when you are looking for them are almost endless. I know that when I was choosing the rims for my car I spent a lot of time searching through the different catalogs and magazines just seeing what the different options were. Perhaps you are finding yourself in a similar situation. It is a lot of fun to look at all of the different ones, but when it comes time to decide on which ones you are going to put on your car, it isn’t always the easiest choice. There is one option that I wouldn’t do without, and that is choosing chrome rims for my car.

As far as I’m concerned chrome rims set a car off like nothing else. Because of the fact that they are polished with a chrome finish, they shine and reflect light in a much different way than a regular aluminum. They also get the attention that your car deserves, and nothing will top off any custom work that you may have done like a great set of chrome rims. Once you put a set on your car you will know exactly what I am talking about, nothing will make your car look better.

Although there are differences of opinion when it comes to these styles, I’ll choose the chrome ones any day. The only problem is that even when you narrow it down to chrome you will still have hundreds of rims to choose from.

So start shopping and searching, the perfect set of them is out there for you somewhere. Give yourself as many options as possible and consider getting used car rims instead of new ones, and you could save a little money as well. Look for sites that give you both new and used options and a huge selection to view.

By: Will Dizon

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