[1][2] Using hardware designed for calculators and powered by a nine-volt battery, the cars are represented by red LEDs on a playfield which covers only a small portion of the case.

Auto Race was followed by other successful handheld sports games from Mattel, including Football and Baseball which were both programmed by Lesser.

Klose and his manager Richard Cheng approached the Microelectronics Division of Rockwell International, a leader in designing handheld calculator chips, to supply Mattel with the hardware and provide technical support.

Mattel in the 1970s, known mostly for Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels, was at first skeptical of products based on electronics, especially at what was considered an expensive retail price at the time: US$24.99 (equivalent to $130 in 2023).

[2][9][10] It was the first in a line of sports handhelds including Football, Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, and Hockey, as well as non-sports games.

NBC refused to air the Missile Attack commercial because of the dark theme of the game, and Mattel removed it from the market.

In 1983, a clone of Auto Race developed by the Ministry of Electronic Industry of the Soviet Union was released as Elektronika IER-01.