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An enduro race is an inexpensive type of automobile racing that takes place mostly on oval tracks. [1] Enduro takes its name from "Endurance racing" since it consists of hundreds of laps around the oval.
It involves stock based cars that had their interior and side or rear windows removed but mostly stock mechanically. [1] A driver is disqualified if the post-race inspection finds that their auto had major racing enhancements. [1] Some enduros, often called 'jalopy enduros', feature cars rescued from a wrecking yard and repaired to barely running condition solely for the purpose of the race. [1] In this case, the prize may be awarded to the last man standing, if all the other competitors break down during the event.
Enduro racing is sometimes divided into two classes: big-car and small-car. Big-car races feature full-size (usually American) cars with larger 6- and 8-cylinder engines, while small-car races feature mid-size to sub-compact (often Japanese) 4-cylinder makes and models.
The first enduro stock car race in the United States was held at the high-banked, asphalt 1/4 mile Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, New Hampshire in the mid-1980s. It was the brainchild of track announcer John Berti. Berti sat down with the owners of the speedway, Larry Cirillo and Fred Parfumi telling them of the concept of enduro racing. They bought into the idea immediately, encouraging Berti to come up with the rules and it began a few weeks later with 152 cars showing up at the first event.
Enduros were run on a monthly basis and paid good purses with $1,000 going to the winner. The races were long-distance affairs lasting 150 laps and were scored using a flop clock with each competitor having a scorer in the grandstands under the control of one head scoring official who kept things honest. It was exciting with much crashing and banging. The cars were slightly better than demo derby cars, had to remain stock, interiors removed with a rollbar, and bumpers had to be chained on. This type of racing really took off as it was a great, low-cost way for amateur racers to be able to take to the racetrack.
Other tracks in the Northeast began to pick up on it, but to many of the enduro racers and fans Monadnock Speedway was revered as "The Enduro Capital" because of the way the races were run and the rules were so tight. It was the way to beat the high cost of stock car racing and it grew nationwide.
The race is not stopped except for an emergency or if the track is completely blocked. At that point the driver is removed from the car, the car remains where it was as an obstacle, and the race returns to green.
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non-racing disciplines.
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately 0.25 to 2.66 miles. It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It originated in the southern United States; its largest governing body is NASCAR. Its NASCAR Cup Series is the premier top-level series of professional stock car racing. Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and the United Kingdom also have forms of stock car racing. Top-level races typically range between 200 and 600 miles in length.
Kart racing or karting is a motorsport discipline using open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on full-size motorsport circuits. Karting is commonly perceived as the stepping stone to the higher ranks of motorsports, with most Formula One drivers—including Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, and Max Verstappen—having begun their careers in karting.
Road racing is a North American term to describe motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. The objective is to complete a predetermined number of circuit laps in the least amount of time, or to accumulate the most circuit laps within a predetermined time period. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on public roads. However, public safety concerns eventually led to most races being held on purpose-built racing circuits.
Dirt track racing is a form of motorsport held on clay or dirt surfaced oval race tracks often used for thoroughbred horse racing. Dirt track racing started in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 1930s using both automobiles and motorcycles. Two different types of race cars dominate — open wheel racers in the Northeast and West and stock cars in the Midwest and South. While open wheel race cars are purpose-built racing vehicles, stock cars can be either purpose-built race cars or street vehicles that have been modified to varying degrees. There are hundreds of local and regional racetracks throughout the nation. The sport is also popular in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
The World Karting Association, or WKA, is the largest sanctioning body for kart racing in North America. The WKA was founded in 1971 and is located directly behind Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The WKA is believed to currently have approximately 5,000 members. Over 50,000 people have been WKA members since the organization's inception in 1971.
Richard Ernest Evans, was an American racing driver who won nine NASCAR National Modified Championships, including eight in a row from 1978 to 1985. The International Motorsports Hall of Fame lists this achievement as "one of the supreme accomplishments in motorsports". Evans won virtually every major race for asphalt modifieds, most of them more than once, including winning the Race of Champions three times. Evans was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame on June 14, 2011. As one of the Class of 2012, Evans was one of the Hall's first 15 inductees, and was the first Hall of Famer from outside the now NASCAR Cup Series.
Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway is a motorsport racetrack located at the Nashville Fairgrounds near downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The track is the second-oldest continually operating track in the United States. The track held NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup races from 1958 to 1984.
Langley Speedway is a race track located in Hampton, Virginia, United States. Langley Speedway is a paved short track measuring 4/10 mile in length. It is one of the flattest tracks in the region with only six degrees of banking in the corners and two degrees of banking on the straights. In November 1970, it became the site of the last NASCAR Grand National Series race before the series was renamed the Winston Cup. The track is located in front of NASA's Langley Research Center on Commander Shepard Boulevard.
The Madison International Speedway (MIS) is a half-mile paved oval racetrack in the Town of Rutland near Oregon, Wisconsin, United States. With 18-degree banked turns, the track is billed as "The Track of Champions" and "Wisconsin's Fastest Half Mile." The weekly program at the track runs on Friday nights under NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series sanction.
Southside Speedway was a short track used for stock car auto racing located South of Richmond, Virginia in Chesterfield County. On December 11, 2020, the track announced it would be closing permanently after the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a .333-mile (0.536 km) asphalt oval owned and operated by Sue Clements and Patsy Stargardt. The track originally canceled the 2011 racing season after announcing that owner Sue Clements was battling health problems. However, a shortened 11-week 2011 season later took place, which saw the return of the Legends and Pro Six divisions.
Seekonk Speedway is a family entertainment venue that features racing of all kinds on a semi-banked 1/3 mile asphalt-paved oval, located on U.S. Route 6 in Seekonk, Massachusetts.
Williams Grove Speedway is a half-mile dirt racing track located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, United States. The speedway opened on May 21, 1939, it has been owned by the Hughes family for over 50 years and has hosted many of the most notable national touring series and some of those most prestigious races in the country. The speedway is entering its 81st year of operation, with racing every Friday from March to October and other special events. One of these special events is the $75,000 to win National Open for sprint cars sanctioned by the World of Outlaws racing series held in late September or early October each year.
The motorcycle sport of racing includes motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Other categories include hill climbs, drag racing and land speed record trials.
Delaware Speedway is a half-mile paved race track that is one of the oldest continuously operating tracks in Canada. It is located a few minutes west of London, Ontario northeast of Delaware, Ontario. It hosts stock car racing every Friday night during the summer. The track opened in 1952 as a quarter-mile dirt track that was paved in 1960. In August 1969, the track was expanded to a 1/2 mile paved oval and continues today.
Capital City Speedway was a racetrack in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, located 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) southwest of Stittsville, Ontario. The Speedway included a dragstrip and a 3/8th mile oval, and ran five different series including the 4 For Fun class, Mini Stock Class, Thunder Car Class, ACT Late Model Class and the Lentch Automotive Legends Class. The Speedway's racing season ran from May until September annually. The Speedway has been closed since 2015.
Race results from the automobile and motorcycle races contested at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. Races have been held on seven different track configurations:
Rockford Speedway was a 1/4 mile short track high banked asphalt oval located in Loves Park, Illinois on Illinois Route 173. Rockford Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway are the only racetracks running under NASCAR sanctions in Illinois.
The New London-Waterford Speedbowl is a 3/8 mile asphalt oval race track with 12 degree banking located on CT 85 in Waterford, Connecticut, just off Interstate 395. It first opened for business on April 15, 1951, as "The New London-Waterford Speed Bowl", the track has been in continuous operation every season since it initially opened. It has continuously promoted Modified stock car racing as its featured division since its first year of operation. It also holds family-oriented events such as the Wild N' Wacky Wednesday Series, Friday Show & Go drag racing and several Sunday Spectacular events throughout the year. Glastonbury businessman Bruce Bemer, won the track property via foreclosure auction bid in October 2014 after several seasons of financial struggles under former owner Terry Eames. Sean Foster was named the track's General Manager in July 2022.
Hagerstown Speedway is a 0.5-mile-long (0.80 km) red clay oval auto-racing track, 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Hagerstown, Maryland, situated on US Route 40. It hosts weekly local racing of Late Model Sportsman, Pure Stock, and Hobby Stock divisions, and throughout the season hosts regional and national touring series such as the Lucas Oil Late Model Series, International Motor Contest Association, and FASTRAK. Along with the car-racing schedule during the year, Monster Jam has used the track for events for several decades, along with various concerts and special events. The speedway has also hosted World of Outlaws, ARCA, and NASCAR races in the past.