Figure 8 racing is a form of stock car racing in which automobiles race on a track that purposely intersects itself, increasing the risk of collisions. Figure 8 racing is most common and popular in the United States and Canada. Because of the risk of collisions, figure 8 racing bears some similarity to the chiefly European sport of banger racing.
Racing is done on a track shaped like an 8. The cars cross paths at the center of the 8, which is known as the "crossover" or the "X". Because of this layout, crashes are common. Figure 8 racing is a unique form of motorsport that requires strict attention to detail and timing to successfully navigate the crossover. In Canada, figure 8 racing often takes place as a part of demolition derby events. Boundary lines are marked to form a figure 8 track, and barriers are installed to protect light poles (if necessary), recovery vehicles, and the safety car.
Figure 8 track racing began right after World War II, in the late 1940s. The track may have had an overpass so that the cars did not cross each other's paths. Most historians believe that the first track where drivers crossed paths was the 1/5 mile-long Indianapolis Speedrome. [1] [2] The sport received nationwide publicity when it was frequently televised on ABC's Wide World of Sports in the 1960s, usually from Islip Speedway in Islip, New York. [3] [4]
The cars used are often stock cars, but are usually modified for lightness and safety, by removing the window glass and often adding a roll cage. [5] A wing much like a sprint car is sometimes placed on the roof to increase downforce. The cars' bodies are typically made out of sheet metal. All manner of vehicles have been used. School buses have become popular, especially at county fairs, because of their extended exposure for crashes. [5]
The oldest operating figure 8 track in the United States is the Indianapolis Speedrome in Indianapolis. The track has been in operation since the 1940s. It hosts the annual World Figure 8 race, which is considered the world championship event. [6] The first three-hour endurance race was held in 1977. [1]
The national championship in the United States is held at Riverhead Raceway in Riverhead, New York. [7] [8]
Many of these tracks have configurations that allow for both standard oval and figure 8 races.
A race track is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals. A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also used in the study of animal locomotion.
The Irwindale Speedway & Event Center is a motorsports facility located in Irwindale, California, United States. It opened on March 27, 1999, under the official name Irwindale Speedway. Toyota purchased the naming rights to the facility in 2008, and from that time until 2011 it was also known as the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park is an auto racing facility in Brownsburg, Indiana, about 10 miles (16 km) northwest of downtown Indianapolis. It includes a 0.686 mi (1.104 km) oval track, a 2.500 mi (4.023 km) road course, and a 4,400-foot (1,300 m) drag strip which is among the premier drag racing venues in the world. The complex receives about 500,000 visitors annually.
Midget cars, also speedcars in Australia, is a class of racing cars. The cars are very small with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four cylinder engines. They originated in the United States in the 1930s and are raced on most continents. There is a worldwide tour and national midget tours in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.
Oval track racing is a form of motorsport that is contested on an oval-shaped race track. An oval track differs from a road course in that the layout resembles an oval with turns in only one direction, and the direction of traffic is almost universally counter-clockwise. Oval tracks are dedicated motorsport circuits, used predominantly in the United States. They often have banked turns and some, despite the name, are not precisely oval, and the shape of the track can vary.
Riverside International Raceway was a motorsports race track and road course established in the Edgemont area of Riverside County, California, just east of the city limits of Riverside and 50 mi (80 km) east of Los Angeles, in 1957. In 1984, the raceway became part of the newly incorporated city of Moreno Valley. Riverside was noted for its hot, dusty environment and for being somewhat of a complicated and dangerous track for drivers. It was also considered one of the finest tracks in the United States. The track was in operation from September 22, 1957, to July 2, 1989, with the last race, The Budweiser 400, won by Rusty Wallace, held in 1988. After that final race, a shortened version of the circuit was kept open for car clubs and special events until 1989.
Ontario Motor Speedway was a motorsport venue located in Ontario, California. It was the first and only automobile racing facility built to accommodate major races sanctioned by all of the four dominant racing sanctioning bodies: USAC for open-wheel oval car races; NASCAR for a 500-mile (800 km) oval stock car races; NHRA for drag races; and FIA for Formula One road course races. Additionally, several motorcycle races were held at the track. Constructed in less than two years, the track opened in August 1970 and was considered state of the art at the time.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada in Las Vegas about 15 mi (24 km) northeast of the Las Vegas Strip, is a 1,200-acre (490 ha) complex of multiple tracks for motorsports racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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.
The American Speed Association (ASA) is a sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States formed in 1968. The Association was based in Pendleton, Indiana, and later in Daytona Beach, Florida. The ASA sanctioned asphalt and dirt tracks in their ASA Member Track program along with racing series in the United States and Canada.
Ascot Park, first named Los Angeles Speedway and later New Ascot Stadium, was a dirt racetrack located near Gardena, California. Ascot Park was open between 1957 and 1990. The track held numerous United States Auto Club (USAC) national tour races and three NASCAR Grand National races. The Turkey Night Grand Prix was held at the track for several decades.
Altamont Raceway Park is a motorsports race track in the western United States, located in northern California, west of Tracy. It opened on July 22, 1966, and operated under the names Altamont Speedway, Altamont Raceway, Altamont Motorsports Park, Altamont Raceway Park and Arena, and Bernal Memorial Raceway. After 42 years of operation, the speedway closed in October 2008; the site is just south of the junction of Interstates 205 and 580.
Riverhead Raceway is a quarter-mile oval race track with a Figure 8 course, located in Riverhead, New York. It is the only auto racing venue on Long Island since Westhampton Raceway closed down in 2003. It started being built in 1949 and opened as a dirt track in 1951, before permanently changing to asphalt in 1955. The raceway was also well known for featuring a towering statue of a Native American, dubbed "Chief Running Fair", at its entrance until it was destroyed in 2012 due to Hurricane Sandy but rebuilt by Christmas and still standing at its original location.
There has been auto racing in Illinois for almost as long as there have been automobiles. Almost every type of motorsport found in the United States can be found in Illinois. Both modern and historic tracks exist in Illinois, including NASCAR's Chicagoland Speedway and Gateway International Speedway. Notable drivers from Illinois include Danica Patrick, Tony Bettenhausen, and Fred Lorenzen.
The Dave Steele Carb Night Classic is a United States Auto Club dirt track car race held near Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, which takes place in late May before the Indianapolis 500 at the nearby Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Over its history, the event has been held at several different short tracks in Indiana, but since 1980, it has permanently been hosted at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in Brownsburg, Indiana. The event has long been considered one of the Indianapolis 500 traditions, along with the Hoosier Hundred and Little 500, which are also held over the same weekend at different venues in Indiana. Over the course of its history, numerous Indy 500 drivers have competed in the Night Before the 500, some winning.
Birmingham International Raceway, (BIR) was a 5/8-mile oval paved racetrack located at the Alabama State Fairgrounds in the Five Points West neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama. It was used primarily for late-model automobile racing.
Islip Speedway was a .2-mile (320-meter) oval race track in Islip, New York which was open from 1947 until 1984. It is the smallest track to host NASCAR's Grand National Series, from 1964 to 1971. The first demolition derby took place at Islip Speedway in 1958. The idea was patented by Larry Mendelsohn, who worked at Islip Speedway. The speedway has since been demolished.
The 1968 Islip 300 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on July 7, 1968, at Islip Speedway in Islip, New York.
Bob Senneker is an American stock car racing driver from Dorr, Michigan near Grand Rapids. He is best known for racing on the American Speed Association (ASA) National Tour where he was the 1990 champion. Senneker's 85 wins was the most in series history. He has also raced in eight NASCAR Cup Series races between 1968 and 1983.
