Late last month, I attended my first indoor auto race. The featured event was a midget race. Now, before you get excited about the term "midget racing" and debate whether this is a politically correct phrase, know this: the term "midget" has nothing to do with the size of the drivers. [Granted, I doubt any of these drivers will be drafted by the NBA anytime soon, but that's for another post.]
Rather, the term "midget" refers to the size of the car. Midgets are significantly smaller than sprint cars. Both would be smaller than your typical stock car or IRL car. For example, under USAC rules, the wheelbase on a midget is between 66 and 76 inches, while the sprint car is between 84 and 96 inches. And a midget's weight is lighter - a minimum 900 lbs vs. a minimum 1,350 lbs in a sprint car. The length of a USAC sprint car is 14 feet. Naturally, midgets are not as lengthy.
While midgets and sprint cars can race on the same size tracks, usually the midgets are raced on short tracks. The indoor track I saw was only 0.1 mile around.
Midget racing requires drivers to be nimble and wise. On a short track, there is not time to make a mistake - you'll end up lapped by the field. The close quarters can generate cautions, but there were frequent long runs. Well, as long a run as you can have in a 10, 12, 15, or 60 lap race.
I was fascinated by the indoor race - the sound of the cars was magnified. The smell of methanol, hot rubber, grease and oil permeated the air. Smoke hung in the air throughout the building.
For a racing junkie, a nice mid-winter high.
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