The thrill of racing is in your blood, and it’s not just the adrenaline that makes you feel alive. Racing takes you to a place where everything else falls away, and all that matters is the race at hand. For some people, that feeling never goes away. It’s what drives them to compete year after year.
When you’re into racing, you want everything else to be taken care of for you. After learning how to get a car title and actually buying a race car, you’ll be preoccupied with its improvements and modifications. This is why it’s best to contract third-party services for these things, as well as other paperwork for your vehicles.
For others, their first taste of racing opens up an entirely new world they didn’t know existed before—a world full of challenges and excitement like nothing they ever felt before.
Open-wheel Racing
The one thing that is consistent about all types of racing is speed. And in open-wheel racing, there’s no faster way to go fast than in a car with no roof—just the wind in your hair and the sun on your face as you race against other drivers around a track designed for maximum speed.
Open-wheel racing encompasses a wide range of classes, including IndyCars, Formula One cars, and more.
Karting
In karting, it’s just you and the track. Karting is often considered an entry point to higher levels of racing, but that doesn’t make it any less thrilling, especially when seeing a giant tire in your side-view mirror!
There’s something about watching drivers drive with such precision in a tiny little machine—bettering themselves lap after lap until they cross the finish line.
Stock Car Racing
For some, racing is all about taking whatever you’ve got and seeing how far you can push it. No expense is spared, no weight added unless it improves performance. It’s about knowing what your car can do and pushing it to its limits.
In stock car racing, that usually means a V8 engine in a Ford Model T frame with some spare tires in the trunk and a roll cage welded inside. As they say, when you’re pushing things to the limit, every bit counts.
Drifting
Is there anything more thrilling than sliding sideways at 100mph with only inches to spare? In drifting, drivers go around a corner with their opposite locks firmly engaged. They use every bit of track available to them, sometimes going off-road and plowing through a grass field just to come out ahead on the other side.
Sports Car Racing
If you’re looking for a classier way to race, sports car racing is the perfect answer.
Sports cars are sleek and aerodynamic, light enough to have nimble handling but strong enough to keep up with other classes on the track. With engines that growl when pushed into high gear and exhausts that scream as you speed down the track, sports cars are a sight to behold.
Road Racing
When it comes to racing, some races take place on closed circuits and some on open roads. In road racing (also known as street racing), drivers race on the open road towards whatever goal they set for themselves. It’s about setting personal goals and exceeding them, whatever they may be.
Rally Racing
For rally drivers, it’s about taking whatever path you can to get from point A to point B in the shortest time possible. Rally racing is an adventure into uncharted territory, with avalanches and mudslides lurking around every turn. It requires a certain level of insanity to want to do this for a living—or even just once in your life!
Stock Car Endurance Racing
Racing doesn’t always have to be about going fast. Sometimes it’s all about staying consistent and taking the checkered flag at the end.
If you like watching drivers drive for hours on end, stock car endurance racing is just the thing for you. These races usually last anywhere from 6 to 24 hours and require drivers to work in 20-minute shifts before handing off the car to their teammates.
Touring Car Racing
Touring cars are about practicality. These racecars look like they came straight out of the showroom with headlights and windshield wipers still intact—just no room for passengers!
Touring car racing is closer to stock car racing than it is to open-wheel racing, but there’s no doubt that it represents another exciting class of racing.
Rallycross
For those who want an adrenaline rush but don’t have the time or money to go rallying, rallycross is for you. In rallycross, drivers race against each other on a dirt track complete with jumps and obstacles. It’s European motocross—but only if every race was against the clock.
Racing is an exciting sport for car enthusiasts, and there’s no doubt that all 10 of these categories are thrilling to follow. No matter what passion pushes you towards racing, rest assured that there’s a class out there waiting for you.