Well, I guess technically I had been to one race...on accident. I was a teenager and with my family at the Dairy Queen Brazier that was across from the old track in Savannah, MO. We had just pulled out of the drive-thru when my dad, a car lover himself, heard the sound of the engines and declared that we had to go watch. I didn't dislike it, but it wasn't something I followed or did again after that...until I started dating Dustin, that is.
Needless to say, when I'd go to the races with him and his family it was really like listening to people speak another language. They'd talk about the track being dry slick, a car being loose, how a driver had recently bought a new chassis, or how one car was tight. I nodded my head the entire time like, "Oh yeah, uh huh. That car is pretty tight looking. I like the, uh, colors. That design is tight."
After a long, awkward pause, several sideways glances, and probably even a few snickers, I was informed that at the race track, "tight" was not slang for awesome, cool, or neat. When a race car is tight, it means the front wheels lose traction before the rear wheels do and the car doesn't seem able to steer sharply enough through the turns, making it sort of head towards the wall.
Oh. Well, that'd suck if the car hit the wall because then it'd mess up the tight design. Ha. Haha!
Since that night several years ago, I have learned an incredible amount about racing (and, okay, I also have pretty sweet Google research skills). To help you avoid a similar mishap, or just to teach you a little about racing, I put together a glossary of terms you might hear at the track so that you won't feel out of the loop next time you go. I even used a few of them in a sentence to enable you to throw out some comments of your own.
That's pretty tight of me to do, I know. You're welcome.
Apron: The portion of a track that separates the racing surface from the infield. It is usually flat in comparison to the racing surface. At most dirt tracks, there's not always much of an apron. "Something must not be right—he got down on the apron so the other cars could pass him."
Back stretch: Has nothing to do with a person stretching their back. It's the straight side of track between turns two and three. Also called the back straightaway.
Banking: The sloping of a racetrack, particularly at a curve or turn, from the apron to the outside wall.
Bite: Adhesion of a tire to the track surface. "The way that car glides through the turns, it has a lot of bite!"
Blow up: Irreparable engine failure which ends a racer’s night. It's usually accompanied by a huge cloud of white smoke (burning oil) and people pointing and exclaiming, "Ooh!! Looks like they blew a motor!" If this is your spouse or family member, next step would be "duck and cover."
Camber: The amount a tire is tilted in or out from vertical. (Note: As a spectator, you'll probably never have to use this term; however, I've heard it used in the garage and it always sounds pretty technical so I thought I'd throw it in.)
Carb: Short for carburetor, not carbohydrate, it's a device connected directly to the gas pedal and mounted on top of the intake manifold that controls the air/fuel mixture going to the engine.
Chassis: The steel structure or frame of the car. "Dude, he smacked the wall hard! I hope he didn't bust the chassis."
Driveshaft: A steel tube that connects the transmission of a race car to the rear end housing. The driveshaft can sometimes fall out from under a car while on the track. When this happens, everyone points and says, "Oh, looks like they lost a driveshaft!" After the driveshaft falls out and is bouncing around under the car, it could hit the transmission or rear end housing and cause more damage. For bonus points, after you try to be the first one to point at the drive shaft and alert everyone around you, you could also say, "Dang, I hope he didn't damage the (insert tranny or rear end housing here)."
Drop the hammer: Means a driver puts the pedal to the metal. (If you'd been watching your racing movies, you would have totally known this.) "Did you see him flyin' down the back stretch? He really dropped the hammer!"
Dry slick: A term that means the dirt on the track has dried out and is packed down, but rubber from the tires, fluids, oil, etc., have made it slick. "Do you see how dark the track is? It's really dry slick!"
Dyno: Shortened term for "dynamometer," a machine used to measure an engine's horsepower. "I wonder if they've put that thing on the dyno—it sounds like a beast!"
Frame: The metal "skeleton" or structure of a race car, on which the sheet metal of the car's body is formed. Also referred to as a chassis. "Man, that was a really bad wreck. I hope it didn't damage the frame."
Front stretch: Again, nothing to do with actual stretching. The straight part of the race track between turns four and turn one. The flag stand is usually in the middle of it.
Groove: The best route around the track or the most efficient or quickest way around the track for a particular driver. The "high groove" takes a car closer to the outside wall for most of a lap, while the "low groove" takes a car closer to the apron. Some racers also use the term "line." The groove/line can change depending on track and weather conditions. Several options here for sentence use: "He got into a groove and dropped the hammer," or, "They were running the same line so he was having trouble getting around him," and finally, "He was running at the top of the track but it got really dry slick so he had to change his line."
Handling: A race car's performance while racing, qualifying, or practicing. How a car "handles" is determined by its tires, suspension geometry, aerodynamics, and other factors. "He's all over the place...that car is handling like crap."
Loose: Also known as "oversteer." When the rear tires of the car have trouble sticking in the corners. This causes the car to fishtail as the rear end swings outward during turns. A minor amount of this effect can be desirable on certain tracks. "Look at the back of that car swinging everywhere—it's really loose!"
Pole position: The driver qualifying fastest is awarded this starting position, which is like first place and the driver starts on the inside of the first row.
Push: See Tight.
Short track: Racetracks that are less than a mile in length. "Yeah, this track is nice and all, but I just prefer a short track."
Slick: A track condition where it's hard for a car's tires to adhere to the surface. This can happen when it gets really packed down. "The track is so slick he just can't get enough bite."
Tacky: This refers to the condition of the track. At the beginning of the night, the track is usually wet from getting watered and dirt getting turned. As the track gets more use, it will pack down reducing the moisture in the top soil, causing a tacky track.
Tear offs: Transparent plastic strips applied to helmet visors. As these strips get dirty or muddy, a driver can tear a dirty strip off for a clear view.
Tight: Also known as "understeer," a car is tight if the front wheels lose traction before the rear wheels. A tight race car doesn't seem able to steer sharply enough through the turns and instead the front end continues toward the wall. "That car is way too tight—he's going to end up driving it straight into the wall."
(Disclaimer: The author of this post is not a race car driver, she's only to married to one, and therefore is not an expert. Use the sample sentences at your own risk, as she probably doesn't really know what she's talking about, even though she likes to think she does.)
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