In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non-racing disciplines.

The first prearranged match race of two self-powered road vehicles over a prescribed route occurred at 4:30 A.M. on August 30, 1867, between Ashton-under-Lyne and Old Trafford, England, a distance of 8 mi (13 km).

On July 22,[4] 1894, the Parisian magazine Le Petit Journal organized what is considered to be the world's first motoring competition, from Paris to Rouen.

[5] The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily, Italy near the island's capital of Palermo.

The pear-shaped track was close to a mile in length, with slightly banked curves and a gravel surface of crushed cement.

The changes that resulted from RJR's involvement, as well as the reduction of the schedule from 56 to 34 races a year, established 1972 as the beginning of NASCAR's "modern era".

[citation needed] The industry, much like the cars it champions, has had to navigate through a global pandemic and a persistent chip shortage, each threatening to derail production schedules.

[citation needed] At the same time, a new course is being charted towards an electric future, a dramatic change in direction that is challenging the old guard of gasoline engines.

[10][citation needed] In single-seater (open-wheel) racing, the wheels are not covered, and the cars often have aerofoil wings front and rear to produce downforce and enhance adhesion to the track.

The series is still the preferred option, as it has introduced an aero package and slicks, allowing the junior drivers to gain experience in a race car with dynamics closer to Formula One.

The group was an assemblage of drivers from different racing disciplines and formed for an MTV reality pilot, which was shot at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

It often features full-contact racing with subtle bumping and nudging due to the small speed differentials and large grids.

The National Auto Sport Association also provides a venue for amateurs to compete in home-built factory-derived vehicles on various local circuits.

These races are often conducted over long distances, at least 1,000 km (621 mi), and cars are driven by teams of two or more drivers, switching every few hours.

There are numerous notable one-make formulae from various countries and regions, some of which – such as the Porsche Supercup and, previously, IROC – have fostered many distinct national championships.

Single marque series are often found at the club level, to which the production-based cars, limited modifications, and close parity in performance are very well suited.

In drag racing, the objective is to complete a given straight-line distance, from a standing start, ahead of a vehicle in a parallel lane.

Drag racing was organized as a sport by Wally Parks in the early 1950s through the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA).

When launching, a top fuel dragster will accelerate at 3.4 g (33 m/s2), and when braking parachutes are deployed the deceleration is 4 g (39 m/s2), more than the Space Shuttle experiences.

In Europe, "offroad" refers to events such as autocross or rallycross, while desert races and rally-raids such as the Paris-Dakar, Master Rallye or European "bajas" are called "cross-country rallies".

A large proportion of professional racing drivers began in karts, often from a very young age, such as Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso.

While there are several professional teams and drivers in historical racing, this branch of auto sport tends to be contested by wealthy car owners and is thus more amateur and less competitive in its approach.

In many types of auto races, particularly those held on closed courses, flags are displayed to indicate the general status of the track and to communicate instructions to competitors.

While individual series have different rules, and the flags have changed from the first years (e.g., red used to start a race), these are generally accepted.

The worst accident in racing history is the 1955 Le Mans disaster, where more than 80 people died, including the French driver Pierre Levegh.

Many aerodynamic experiments are conducted in wind tunnels, to simulate real-life situations while measuring the various drag forces on the car.

[18] When a diffuser is installed under the car, the amount of drag force is significantly lowered, and the overall aerodynamics of the vehicle is positively adjusted.

The suspension is important because it makes the car stable and easier to control and keeps the tires on the road when driving on uneven terrain.

Contrary to popular assumption, racing drivers as a group do not have unusually strong reflexes or peripheral response time.

[20] During repeated physiological and psychological evaluations of professional racing drivers, the two characteristics that stand out are racers' near-obsessive need to control their surroundings—psychological—and an unusual ability to process fast-moving information —physiological.