Motorsports 101: What Are the Different Types of Car Racing?

Auto racing has been one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States since the turn of the 21st century. Market research from September 2024 valued the global motorsports industry at $7.18 billion while predicting a healthy 10.1% annual growth rate from 2024–32.

Even if you're new to the auto racing world, you've likely heard of major car racing categories like Formula 1, NASCAR, IndyCar, and drag racing. Newcomers often wonder about the defining features of the different types of auto racing, which is understandable — the world of motorsports can be overwhelming.

Not to worry, we’ve got you covered! Read on for everything you need to know about car racing basics so you won’t be in the dark the next time your buddies (or significant other) starts talking motorsports.

Formula 1 racing

Formula 1 racing, also known as Formula One or F1, is the world's highest level of international competition for open-wheel, single-seat race cars. The annual Formula 1 auto racing schedule runs from March–December and is based around a series of events known as Grand Prixs.

Some Grand Prix races take place on regular roads, which are closed off during events while spectators watch. Others are hosted at purpose-built racing circuits, such as Italy's famous "temple of speed," the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, and Great Britain's Silverstone Circuit.  

Drivers earn points based on where they finish in a Grand Prix:

As the season progresses, individual drivers and the teams they represent both amass points based on where they place in races. The driver who earns the most points over the course of an F1 season becomes that year's individual world champion, while the racing team that amasses the most points becomes that year's "constructor" champion. 

As of 2024, German driver Michael Schumacher and British racer Lewis Hamilton are tied as the winningest individual competitors in F1 history. Schumacher and Hamilton have both won seven F1 titles. 

Ferrari's 16 constructor titles, won between 1961–2008, lead all racing teams.

Stock car racing (NASCAR)

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the world's leading stock car racing league. A stock car is a production vehicle that has been specially adapted for use in professional auto races.

NASCAR operates three different circuits:

• Cup Series: This is the top level of NASCAR competition.
• Xfinity Series (Nationwide Series): A second-tier level, the Xfinity Series supports the Cup Series. Many of its competitors are rising through the stock car racing ranks as they try to break in at the Cup Series level.
• Truck Series: Drivers in the Truck Series circuit compete in pickup trucks instead of stock cars.

The vehicles used in all three circuits must conform to several specifications:

• Engine type: 5.8L V8
• Transmission: 4-speed manual
• Maximum weight: 3,200 lbs.
• Maximum horsepower: 750 hp (Cup Series), 700 hp (Xfinity Series and Truck Series)

NASCAR drivers compete by racing around a track lap by lap, with Cup Series vehicles reaching blazing speeds of up to 200 mph (320 km/h). A NASCAR event may use one of four track types:

• Speedways: These are oval or D-shaped tracks that are usually 1–2 miles in length.
• Superspeedways: Superspeedways are longer and wider than speedways, allowing drivers to reach higher speeds.
• Short circuits: Also known as short tracks, these oval circuits are thin and less than a mile long.
• Road courses: These courses are longer circuits involving more sharp turns and extending out into surrounding roads and streets. 

Races unfold across three different stages, with drivers earning points based on their positions at the end of each stage. Each driver's cumulative point total determines their place in the NASCAR regular season standings, which lead up to the annual playoffs.

Sixteen drivers make the playoffs each year. Drivers who win a race during the regular season automatically qualify. If any open slots remain, they go to the drivers who have amassed the most points over the course of the season.

During the playoffs, drivers compete in four rounds of races. Like the regular season, they earn points based on where they finish and the four lowest-scoring drivers are eliminated at the end of each of the first three rounds. The highest-scoring remaining driver after the fourth round wins the coveted NASCAR Cup Series championship.

As of 2024, three NASCAR legends are tied atop the all-time Cup Series championship standings with seven titles each: Richard Petty (seven titles between 1964–79), Dale Earnhardt (1980–94), and Jimmie Johnson (2006–16).

IndyCar racing

IndyCar racing is similar to NASCAR, except for the vehicles the drivers use. The IndyCar circuit uses light, sleek, lightning-fast open-wheel vehicles with single-seat open cockpits.

Like NASCAR, IndyCar uses a variety of tracks including oval circuits, road tracks, and street courses. IndyCar races are generally shorter, usually covering a total of about 200–300 miles compared to the 500–600 miles of a NASCAR race. Drivers also reach higher speeds: the typical top speed of an IndyCar vehicle is about 236 mph (380 km/h).

The IndyCar circuit hosts what is arguably the world's most famous motorsports event: the Indianapolis 500 (Indy 500). This prestigious race debuted in 1911 is an iconic feature on the global motorsports calendar.

As of 2024, A.J. Foyt is the all-time IndyCar leader with a combined total of seven national championship titles.

Drag racing

Drag racing is a head-to-head competition in which two drivers vie to cross a finish line first. The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is the sport's major sanctioning body, and it operates events in 15 categories that combine to allow more than 200 different vehicle types.

Vehicle categories are determined by characteristics including body type, engine size, aerodynamics, modifications, and weight. Funny cars, dragsters, and street cars are a few well-known examples. The most powerful dragsters can generate an astonishing 11,000 horsepower!

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is the sport's top competition. It operates across four vehicle categories: dragsters, funny cars, pro stock cars, and pro stock motorcycles.

PEAK Auto has multiple connections to the drag racing world, including long-time partner, John Force Racing. PEAK is a primary sponsor of the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet SS, which Jack Beckman will drive in pursuit of the Funny Car Championship in the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.  

PEAK has also been a proud sponsor of Alex Taylor Racing since 2022. Celebrated as "the fastest woman in drag," Alex has soared to success as one of the sport's best-known stars and gives her many fans a look behind the scenes on her Riding with Alex Taylor YouTube channel. Alex Taylor has also made her name in Land speed racing.

Land speed racing

One of the oldest motorsports, land speed racing involves straight courses. Drivers attempt to cover a set distance in the shortest possible amount of time. The sport's top drivers have the secondary objective of trying to break the existing land speed record.

As of October 2024, the FIA recognizes the outright land speed world record as 763.035 mph (1,227.985 km/h), set in 1997 by British racer Andy Green. PEAK partner Alex Taylor hit a career milestone at Bonneville Speed Week in 2024, when she broke a Southern California Timing Association record and joined drag racing's exclusive 200 mph club.

Alex accomplished the feat while behind the wheel of a slick 1980 Chevrolet Camaro. Check out the Camaro she drove on YouTube, and see her celebrate earning the iconic red hat for joining the 200 mph club.

Rally racing

Rally racing involves specially modified but road-legal cars, which race on circuits consisting of  regular public or private roads. Unlike many other motorsports, rally racers do not compete against each other directly, but instead race against a clock.

Drivers are not allowed to practice on a rally course before a race, and individual cars begin the race on staggered schedules. The World Rally Championship (WRC), sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (International Automobile Federation, FIA), is the sport's top international circuit.

In the United States, the American Rally Association (ARA) governs the sport. Major events include the Olympus Rally, the Oregon Trail Rally, and the Susquehannock Trail Rally.

Off-road racing

In off-road racing, competitors race across off-road terrain in specially modified vehicles including cars, trucks, motorcycles, dune buggies, quad bikes, and sports utility vehicles (SUVs). Race formats usually use a series of checkpoints, where participants register their time for that segment of the race. The competitor who completes the entire course in the lowest total time wins.

Multiple sanctioning bodies operate off-road racing competitions, which are mainly popular in North America. Major events include the Baja 1000 in Mexico's Baja California region, along with the Alpine Shop Trail Run Series, the Castlewood 8-Hour Adventure Race, and the Shaw Bloom Trail races. 

See what off-road racing is like with PEAK Squad member and 106 time NHRA National Event winner Dan Fletcher, and other legends of the racing world in PEAK’s Legendary 7 video series.

PEAK proudly sponsors U.S. motorsports and its star performers

At PEAK Auto, we’re passionate about motorsports and are proud to participate in the racing scene. We mainly engage through our PEAK Squad program, which we launched to celebrate the fun side of cars. Join the PEAK Squad today to stay on top of all of the racing action, and get a behind the scenes look at races, car builds, restorations and more.

And keep an eye out for the PEAK logo in the upcoming F1 movie starring Brad Pitt — scheduled to hit theaters in June 2025.