automobile racing

automobile racing, sport in which specially designed or modified automobiles race on any of various courses. Automobile racing originated in France in 1894 and appeared in the United States the following year. It is now one of the most popular spectator sports in the world. Of many different types of competition, the most prestigious have traditionally involved Formula One (Grand Prix) or "Indy-type" automobiles, both cars with low-slung bodies capable of speeds greater than 230 mph (370 kph). Their design and maintenance require full-time racing teams and large corporate investment. A number of countries sponsor Grand Prix races, which contribute to the designation of a world champion driver. The Grands Prix of Monaco, France, Great Britain, Canada, and Australia are among the best known.

America's famous Indianapolis 500 (begun 1911) is the best known of a series of races in which drivers compete for a series championship, organized by the United States Auto Club (USAC) and overseen from 1979 to 1996 by Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). In 1996 CART began a competing series, leaving the Indy 500 and several other races in the hands of the Indy Racing League (IRL). The Indianapolis 500 attracts over 500,000 spectators annually, making it the nation's largest paid-admission sporting event. Many top drivers compete in both Formula One and Indy-type races, and some also drive in the two major endurance races for sports cars, the 24 Hours at Daytona (Daytona Beach, Fla.) and the 24 Hours at LeMans (France; officially the LeMans Grand Prix d'Endurance, held since 1923).

Enormously popular in the United States are the races of the National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing (NASCAR) circuit, in which standard, or stock, cars with special equipment race at speeds that can average close to 200 mph (320 kph). The major races of the NASCAR circuit include the Daytona 500 and the Talladega 500. Midget racing originated in the 1940s among enthusiasts unable to afford Indy cars. Originally held on dirt tracks at fairgrounds, midget races have yielded their popularity to sprint cars, larger versions of the midgets that travel half-mile tracks at 100 mph (161 kph) or more. Drag racing, which grew out of the often illegal sprints held among American teenagers during the 1950s, involves acceleration tests among extremely powerful cars over .25-mi (.4025-km) courses at speeds exceeding 300 mph (483 kph). Hill climbing, done by cars of various classes against the clock, is popular in Europe, but has never attained more than regional popularity in the United States.

Sport practiced in a variety of forms on roads, tracks, or closed circuits. It includes Grand Prix racing, speedway racing (including the Indianapolis 500), stock-car racing, sports-car racing, drag racing, midget-car racing, and karting, as well as hill climbs and rally driving. The International Motor Sports Hall of Fame is located in Talladega, Ala., U.S. There is no central governing body for automobile racing in the U.S. as there is in most other countries.

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Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is an auto racing sanctioning body in the United States founded in 1953 by John Marcum. The current president of ARCA is Ron Drager. ARCA (aka the ARCA RE/MAX Series) races stock cars similar to those seen in past years in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and indeed most cars used in ARCA were previously used in NASCAR. ARCA's competitors contain a mix of both professional racers as well as hobby racers alike, in addition to younger competitors trying to make a name for themselves, sometimes driving as part of a driver development program for a NASCAR team. Most ARCA RE/MAX Series races are broadcast on either MavTV or SPEED TV.

ARCA also sanctions a truck racing series called the ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series and owns the Toledo Speedway and Flat Rock Speedway. Formerly sanctioned the ARCA Midget Series from 1988 until 2002.

History

Marcum founded the Midwest Association for Race Cars (MARC) in 1953 as a regional stock car racing series after working as an official for NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. In 1964 the name was changed to the Automobile Racing Club of America when the series became national by racing on superspeedways. This ARCA is not to be confused with the organization founded in 1933 with the same name (now known as the Sports Car Club of America). ARCA started racing at Daytona International Speedway in 1964 during the Daytona Speedweeks at the request of France, who had raced against Marcum in the 1940s.

The ARCA/NASCAR relationship continues to today. The series frequently schedule events at the same track on the same weekend. The ARCA event is frequently the Saturday support race to the Sunday NASCAR Cup event. For a several decades, ARCA used older NASCAR Cup racecars at their events.

Former NASCAR greats such as Benny Parsons, Kyle Petty, Ken Schrader and others have competed in and advanced through the ARCA series on the way to successful NASCAR careers. ARCA is still often used as a stepping stone for hopeful NASCAR drivers.

Series

• ARCA RE/MAX Series
• ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series
• ARCA West Series

*ARCA West Mac's Series

*ARCA West Circle K Series

• Toledo Speedway and Flat Rock Speedway are both operated by ARCA, and hold ARCA RE/MAX Series races throughout the year.

Gallery

References

• The Pit Lane - Daily ARCA News and Rumors
• - ARCA Race Results Archive

External links

• Official ARCA Website
• ARCA RE/MAX Series Sim Racing