Taking to the Tracks: Grassroots Racing in the United States

 As a transplanted European I must confess that I suffered from a bias born out of ignorance: I thought Americans only liked to turn left!

It’s understandable: the image of American racing abroad is formed by Indy, NASCAR and 1/4 drag racing. However I could not have been more wrong.

Yes, some of my earliest memories of racing involved pouring over old books about Prototype racing in the 1960s (when Ford gt40s took on the might of Ferrari at Le Mans) and marveling at the winged Texas Chaparrals. And yet, little did I know how deep the culture of road racing runs in this country.

Nothing exemplifies this passion better than the grassroots racing series that are within relatively easy reach of many enthusiasts.NASA comes to mind with their racing program accommodating anything from Honda Civics to Mustangs to insanely prepared Porsches.

Perhaps even more important and relevant are the track days and high performance driving schools that allow modern day enthusiasts a chance to experience the performance of their sports cars in a safe and legal environment. These events almost always sell out way in advance and, incredibly, even in the recent economic climate, many new road courses have been built around the country.

This makes a lot of sense. The performance potential of even relatively mundane street cars now surpasses that of legendary exotics of the past and, after driving fast on a track, the idea of speeding on a public street seems kind of silly.

So, like many of my fellow american enthusiasts I say: Take it to the track!

Photo Credit: Andrea Cairone

Read more from Andrea Cairone at Axis of OverSteer