Olen McGuire
04-27-2009, 08:25 PM
Dirt track racing became popular in the United States during the 1920's. Two kinds of race cars dominated the tracks, the open wheel racers and stock cars. Open wheel cars were popular in the Northeast and West, while stock cars were the favorite of Southern racers.
There's still around 1,500 tracks all over the country, run mostly by locals. Many racers participate in dirt track racing and short asphalt track racing and alternate between the seasons.
Most tracks today are still oval shaped and vary from a half mile to a mile in length. The longer tracks feature higher speed races, which increases distance between cars, but increases the chance of injury or death in crashes. Today's tracks are made with a variety of soils, but the best ones usually have a clay base. Operators keep the clay tacky by periodically sprinkling water over the track during races. Some choose to keep the track flat, according to old track style, but others bank up the sides in a Nascar-type fashion.
Changes in tracks and cars has left a fantastic passtime for car enthusiasts. Many are looking up old parts and crashed cars and restoring them into killer vintage racing machines. You can see these beauties at car shows around the country, and most of them carry a piece of world history.
Dirt track racing is a fun family sport, and of course on a smaller scale than Nascar. Today's obsession with racing has the old dirt tracks to thank, and we would be remiss to forget our heritage back in the days of homemade dirt tracks.
There's still around 1,500 tracks all over the country, run mostly by locals. Many racers participate in dirt track racing and short asphalt track racing and alternate between the seasons.
Most tracks today are still oval shaped and vary from a half mile to a mile in length. The longer tracks feature higher speed races, which increases distance between cars, but increases the chance of injury or death in crashes. Today's tracks are made with a variety of soils, but the best ones usually have a clay base. Operators keep the clay tacky by periodically sprinkling water over the track during races. Some choose to keep the track flat, according to old track style, but others bank up the sides in a Nascar-type fashion.
Changes in tracks and cars has left a fantastic passtime for car enthusiasts. Many are looking up old parts and crashed cars and restoring them into killer vintage racing machines. You can see these beauties at car shows around the country, and most of them carry a piece of world history.
Dirt track racing is a fun family sport, and of course on a smaller scale than Nascar. Today's obsession with racing has the old dirt tracks to thank, and we would be remiss to forget our heritage back in the days of homemade dirt tracks.