U-Car

A U-car is a type of race car built from stock parts. Because of this, it is one of the fastest growing motorsports in terms of numbers of drivers and participants.

Safety

U-car safety is extremely important, as, in general, showroom cars are rarely safe enough to be raced. The minimum rollcage at most tracks, for instance, is a four-point rollcage, meaning it must have posts at the car's A-posts and B-posts, although some associations require a six-point rollcage (A, B, and C posts). The cage must be welded to the car's frame so that it does not come loose in the event of an impact. The driver's seat must be a racing seat and must have at least four-point racing harnesses lest the stock ones break. The driver must also have a fire extinguisher and firewall onboard.

Specs

The cars use all-showroom parts, including tires. The only differences in the stock car are the rollcage, racing seats, and window nets to hold the driver inside the car should an accident happen. Thus a U-car can be any type of car other than a purpose-built racing machine. Small modifications to the suspension are allowed and a custom dashboard may also be fabricated. The cars' interiors are also allowed to be stripped out to save weight and increase speed.

Rules

The flag rules in U-Car racing are no different from any other racing sport, and are as follows:

Flag	Displayed from start tower	Displayed from observation post
	The cars are cleared to drive.	End of hazard.
	Full course caution condition.	Local caution condition — Sometimes used simply as an advisory, however, at some tracks, no one may pass where displayed.
	Debris or slippery patches on the track.	There is either a small, non-hazardous chunk of debris or slippery patch on the track.
	The car with the number indicated must come into the pit lane for breaking a rule, or the session is halted and all cars on course must return to the pit lane.
	The car with the number indicated has mechanical trouble and should come into the pit lane for repairs.
	The car indicated will not be scored until they report to the pits, or, in some cases, is completely disqualified from competition.
	A car must allow another car to pass.
	The race is stopped—all cars must halt on the track.
	There is one lap to go in the race.
	The race is over.

With the aforementioned exceptions of the driver safety system, the car must remain completely stock. Further, the car must have been produced by a company native to the country it is racing in; thus, a Toyota would not be able to race in an American U-Car event, while a Saturn would not be able to race in Japan. Additionally, the car's body must be mostly plastic or fiberglass.

History

The concept of U-Car racing has been around in one form or another since the birth of car racing. For instance, NASCAR started by using stock or slightly modified cars as a way for moonshiners to show off their vehicles. As with U-Car racing, only minor adjustments were allowed. However, as NASCAR grew, local tracks saw a need to keep racing more cost-effective to increase car count and therefore revenue. Thus, U-Car racing as we know it was born.

Cars

Because U-Cars typically run at speeds of 70 or more miles per hour, the cars must be very durable. Thus, cars like Saturns, Chevrolets, and Geos are among the first to be picked, although it is not uncommon for a team to take another car and make it more durable.

Tracks

Most U-Car races take place on either dirt or pavement short tracks, such as Langley Speedway in Virginia. However, it is not unknown for road courses, such as Road Atlanta, to host races. In this case, the cars are usually more well-balanced in terms of tire pressure and rollcage design so that they can go around both types of turns with equal agility.

Setup

Because the car must remain mostly stock, the primary way to determine what type of track a car is allowed to race on is the rollcage. An oval car may have more weight on the left side, whereas a road course car would have bars placed more evenly so as to make the car more predictable when driving around corners. Another way to tell what a car is meant for is to look at its suspension. An oval car may have spring rubbers in the right side suspension to reduce body roll, while a road course car might have spring rubbers on all or none of the springs. (Spring rubbers are small pieces of rubber that are put in the suspension with the goal of aiding weight distribution while cornering.)