Dirt track racing has existed as a popular sport for almost a century, and at the beginning, there were only two types of race cars for dirt tracks. This meant there wasn’t much choice for drivers when it came to picking a dirt track race car. Now, there are a lot more choices, and this makes it easy for drivers to specialize with a car of their choice.
However, dirt track racing for beginners is not quite as simple. You won’t have the knowledge and experience of other drivers, and that means balancing with wedge and choosing dirt racing cars is difficult. You will need to factor in a variety of variables such as how much money you have, what competency you think you have, and what kind of car appeals to you. This is where dirt track racing classes can help you. They’ll equip you with everything you need to know to begin dirt track racing.
Plenty of dirt track car classes are available, but to give you a headstart, we’ll give you an overview of all of the main types of dirt track race car.
Open Wheel
These are some of the most popular cars used by drivers with easy to prepare dirt track tires. They have a cylindrical appearance with external wheels. They are single-seater vehicles, and their design imitates Formula One. This means the engine is at the back and the steering is driven by the rearmost pair of wheels. They also weigh very little, which makes them fast and flexible. Dirt racing cars with this form also come in different subcategories tailored to the experience of the driver and their budget. Here are a few:
Go-Karts
These open wheel cars are powered by gasoline, and the engines will be two or four-stroke. The main difference between these and regular go-karts is that their speed is capped at around 40 mph. This is enough to provide great dirt track experiences. Dirt track racing for beginners typically involves these because they are safer.
Quarter Midgets
The name of this car is quite self-explanatory. They are 25% of the size of a full midget. They are moderately popular vehicles and their speeds are 30-50 mph. Younger drivers who are aged 5-16 years old typically use these.
Sprints
The first two types of race cars for dirt tracks in the sprint subcategory are the Micro and Mini. These are both somewhat larger than the quarter midgets, and you have to be at least 12 years of age to use them. They often have the same engine you’d find in a motorbike, and appear to look the same as a full-sized sprint, just smaller. The Micro is a little bigger than the Mini but generally uses a similar engine.
Midget Sprints
Unlike the Micro and the Mini, this type is a much speedier variety of sprint, with a higher weight and a bigger engine. It’s best to have had some practice on the track before you use one of these. They have cages inside in case of rolling, which indicates how risky they can be. They’re built for shorter races that don’t exceed 50 miles.
Sprint Vehicles
These are some of the strongest cars you’ll find in dirt track racing. Any excess weight has been removed, and you can only get them going by pushing them. Because of their low weight, these cars often have wings on the side for balance. Another benefit of these cars is that their engine size is very flexible.
Stock Cars
Moving on from the open wheels options, we now come to stock vehicles. These weigh far more, and their age, appearance, and design vary considerably. There are four frequently used types of stock car, which we will discuss below.
Street
This is one of the favorites among stock car drivers, and that’s because they’re cheap. Most of them come from scrapyards where they’re waiting to be crushed. You can modify them, but only to a limited extent. Most dirt track drivers opt to take out any irrelevant parts and add in suspension and cages.
Super
These cars are similar to the street stock vehicles, except there is a wider range of alterations permitted. Drivers can replace the engines, for example. However, rules do exist which limit the amount of money that can be spent on modifications and the tires that can be added.
Dirt Late
These are a specialist version of stock cars where additional rules are applied. Smaller engines are required because of the tracks these cars are used on. Often, this means engines with crate motors that prevent any extra changes being made within the engine.
Super Dirt Late
Super dirt late cars are particularly favored among drivers on dirt tracks. They have aluminum structures that are attached to steel frames. They are built for speed, with a slim and smooth outer body that decreases air resistance. These are some of the fastest cars available in dirt track racing, and their speeds can exceed 100 mph.
However, these advantages come with a price, which is that these cars are very pricey. Their engines are often upmarket, as are any alterations made. You can expect to pay more than $60,000 for these.
Modified Dirt Vehicles
If neither of the two categories we discussed above sounds appealing, then there is a hybrid option that combines both. These are also quite popular with racers. The size of their engines is restricted, but high speeds are not ruled out. Within this hybrid category, there are also some quirky subcategories to explore, such as Dwarf and Legend car models. These are older cars and fiberglass cars respectively. These vehicles are also quite cheap.
Conclusion
Dirt track racing is an amazing activity you’ll be sure to enjoy, but as with anything new, you should take your time and research it first. You can find out more about dirt racing flags, your local tracks to see what the rules are, and if you’d like to learn the skills, you can take dirt track car classes.