HowStuffWorks Newsletter
Motorsports attract fans around the world with a variety of vehicles and competitions. Learn about drifting and other types of motorsports in the Motorsports Channel.
Part of the thrill for spectators in car racing is the wrecks — assuming everyone is OK. But who is left picking up the bill when those expensive cars end up destroyed?
The Head and Neck Safety device was developed by the late Dr. Bob Hubbard after his friend died in a car racing accident. What impact has it had on car racing since then?
This annual women-only rally treks across some wild terrain in Nevada and California. And the female teams that participate end up learning about way more than just how to use a compass.
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World records are set and broken here every year. What makes the Bonneville Salt Flats so conducive to speed?
Monster Jam is loud, intense and full of huge trucks. And today it's a multimillion-dollar entertainment organization that attracts men, women and children across the globe.
Synchronized driving may not just be for the "Fast and Furious" among us in the future.
The first rule of the Mid Night Club? You must have a car that goes over 160 mph.
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With a little more technology tinkering, driverless cars could take over the racetracks.
Sure, driving at speeds over 200 mph sounds risky enough, but the world of motor sports gets even more daring than stock car racing. These extreme races will get your adrenaline pumping and kick your heart rate into high gear.
While fatal motor-sports crashes are undoubtedly tragic events, they can lead to better safety regulations and fewer crashes. These 10 harrowing accidents encouraged the sport to better protect its drivers and fans.
Sometimes a race car's extreme speed is its downfall. "Too good to be true" was a reality for many of these race cars — and it got them banned.
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It sounds nutty, but it's true. Peanuts are considered bad luck at auto races, and most professional race car drivers want nothing to do with them down at the race track. How did this superstition start?
If you're the crafty type, perhaps you've turned an old ladder into a bookshelf or a tube TV into an aquarium. But turning an old gas tank into a race car? Enter the belly tank racer, one of hot rodding's most iconic contraptions.
A Top Fuel dragster accelerates to over 100 miles per hour in less than one second, burns 1.2 gallons of nitromethane (again, per second) and actually registers on the Richter scale as it comes off the line.
Some of these superstitions go beyond the paranoia or predilection of a specific racer. Even the snacks served at concession stands are affected by belief in bad luck.
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While there are several racing series involving V8 Supercars, the largest and most popular is the V8 Supercars Championship Series. And now this exciting series is headed to the U.S.
A wastegate is a pressure-sensitive valve that helps adjust the spinning speed of a turbocharger. Find out how to make a wastegate adjustment on a turbocharger in this article.
The same men who used their skills as drivers and mechanics to outrun the law while running homemade moonshine used those same skills to found one of the most popular motorsports in the U.S.: NASCAR.
What separates Pinewood Derby cars from CO2 dragsters? Instead of using gravity to pull them down the track (like a Pinewood Derby car) a CO2 dragster has the added advantage of a powerful propulsion system.
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Tired of watching cars race in a circle hour after hour? Then how about a race where participants build their own cars, chain their bumper to an ambulance or hold a vote to literally crush a competitor's car?
If your idea of kart racing is based on the go-karts found parked in front of your local hardware store -- well, you're in for a sweet surprise. True racing karts are serious competitive machines.
Endurance races pack all the excitement of shorter races, but add the drama of catastrophic mechanical failure along with the steady attrition of vehicles as the laws of physics take their toll.
Have you ever wanted to get behind the wheel of a real race car and learn how to drive like the professionals? Racing schools, where you can get individual instruction from experienced drivers give you that opportunity.
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There's a good chance you've never heard of tether car racing. That's because there are only a few remaining racetracks and a handful of enthusiasts left in the world. What makes this hobby so unique?
All forms of auto racing require some level of driver skill in order to remain competitive. But gymkhana isn't just a test of a driver's physical skills -- it's also a complex mental challenge.
By Eric Baxter