Much has been made of the dangers of street racing, with young men particularly targeted. Teenage boy plus adrenaline equals heavy on the gas pedal for many. Street racing is a deadly serious form of lawbreaking. Accidents happen and speed kills. Drivers who engage in speed contests put themselves at risk and endanger innocent others, whether the races occur on freeways or on public streets. The next crash may take the life of a driver, a passenger, a spectator or an innocent by-stander who has the misfortune of being there at the wrong moment.
Although street racing is unlawful, it has been around for years and is still an aspect of life in Southern California. Irwindale Speedway and L.A. Racing have dedicated themselves to being part of the solution. With so many news reports about crashes and the lives upended, the two organizations realized there was something they could do — they could get involved and help get the message out there. The message, in a nutshell, is that racing is an affordable, entertaining hobby that doesn’t belong on public roads!
It’s about constructively channeling the need for speed. People need to realize that street racing is a bad idea and that there are better alternatives out there that are inexpensive. The street is not the place to go fast. The track is better, safer and more fun! Racing is about control. When you lack skills you lack control and attempting to race in an unsafe manner quickly becomes a dangerous situation. A 2,000-pound motor vehicle hurtling out of control is a deadly weapon. Motor-vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among U.S. teenagers and young adults.
More people die on our roads compared to any other epidemic — if it was a medical epidemic, there would be an outcry for a solution, but there just isn’t enough done with preventive ‘medicine’ when it comes to street racing. Irwindale Speedway and L.A. Racing hope to change that. Irwindale Speedway has a 1/8-mile drag strip, located on the grounds of the NASCAR sanctioned racetrack. The drag strip is open on selected Thursdays and Sundays for people to bring their own cars and race. L.A. Racing supplies year round race adventures for people wanting to put the pedal to the metal and experience the adrenaline rush of racing real NASCAR stock cars. Both offer affordable, safe and legal alternatives to street racing.
For more information, log on to www.irwindalespeedway.com , www.LAracingX.com , or call 877-901-RACE (7223).