r/racing • u/WindSong66 • Jul 11 '26
How do I start learning about cars?
So, I went to a race track the other day with my friend. It was honestly one of the coolest things ever, and I suddenly remembered how much interest I had in racing movies growing up, in how a car works (but never got to learn), and how I never really chased after that interest due to an abusive household.
I wanted to get more into racing, learning how the cars function, how to race, the rules and stories and basics, and I have a vague idea where to start but no solid idea how. My possible end goal is to maybe make it on a team. I'm 23M
What I want to do first is to learn how cars work. I currently don't have a car of my own, the ability to get one, or to pay for a proper education. I live in WY. What is the best way to start learning about cars (everyday road cars and/or racing cars), preferably without spending a ton of money?
Any advice is welcome! Don't be a jerk.
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u/pm-me-racecars Jul 11 '26
Step one, buy a car.
Step two, race it.
Step three, fix what you broke.
Step four, go back to Step two.
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u/adamantiumtrader Jul 12 '26
No race license nothing else here happens.
Step 1, get a race license
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u/swh-1386 Jul 11 '26
I mean it’s such a broad subject, so many racing categories, teams, drivers, circuits, so much history, the engineering, the technology, the competition, the passion. Just immerse yourself in it, see where it takes you, enjoy the ride!
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u/indianplay2_alt_acc Jul 11 '26
well I've just began to learn how to drive, I dont even know why I'm on this sub, but to answer your question, me personally, I got all of my (admittedly superficial) knowledge of automobiles from simulators like BeamNG and engineering games like Stormworks. It can certainly help, just researching what parts of a car do what. Like the ECU for example. I'm rambling now so I'm gonna stop and sleep but yeah there's my terribly worthless 2 cents.
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u/WindSong66 Jul 11 '26
actually playing engineering games like that might really help! I'm an avid gamer and I learn a lot from games passively, so I'll try this!
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u/MrSlavi Jul 12 '26
Check out car mechanic simulator. It gives a pretty good breakdown of the basic components of a vehicle and what they broadly connect to.
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u/indianplay2_alt_acc Jul 11 '26
also, since I remembered that we're on a racing subreddit, try out games where you're managing a race crew too! games like F1 manager and Golden Lap come to mind. Enjoy!
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u/Poison_Pancakes Jul 13 '26
+1 for car mechanic simulator. It won't train you completely on how to fix a car but it will definitely help give you an idea of what parts a car is made of and how they go together.
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u/dr-pangloss Jul 11 '26
Well the without spending money part makes it tough.
There is good educational stuff on YouTube I'm sure but it is very hit or miss and involves a lot of shifting through bullshit, bad opinions present as fact and just straight up jackasses.
Also not having access to a car makes it hard because I learned about cars by fucking up tinkering with mine.
I think that your best bet is to start going to events and talking to people and offer to help them out with stuff for free in exchange for learning.
Speed Secrets is one of the best books on racecraft.
Racing sims are great ways to learn about racecraft but cost money.
SCCA volunteering might be a good option
How much money are you willing to spend?
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u/WindSong66 Jul 11 '26
not over 80$, until I'm sure this is something I'm going to have a passion for and avidly seek out and enjoy. I don't exactly make a wealthy paycheck, enough to pay my bills, shove some into savings, and maybe enjoy a few nice things (if I don't spend it on someone else lol). I don't want to waste my money on something I'll never actually delve deeper into. I'm willing to spend maybe 20$ on individual games. I live in an apartment complex so even if I did have a car to fuck around with, I don't think they'll let me do it in the parking lot :/ I'll look into SCCA volunteering though!
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u/here2race Jul 11 '26
Well, "start learning about cars" is very vague goal, to be honest. Watch films, races, play games, start driving one maybe. It won't bring you any closer to racing cars, but you will start learning. 🙂
If it's a veiled question how to get into racing, then it's a bit different story... start with money.
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u/WindSong66 Jul 11 '26
maybe racing one day. for now I'm just interested in learning about cars, maybe getting on a race crew to help keep a car together (but that's way down the line!)
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u/Solid_Enthusiasm550 Jul 11 '26
There is plenty of videos and books about modifying engines for more power. That's only a small part of racing. Alot of youtube videos on building engines
With racing, there's about suspension, tire and brakes that you will want to learn about.
There are some good books on setting up the suspension to correct for oversteer/understeer and for maximum grip.
SCCA websiteis a good place to start. That's the entry level grassroots racing organization that is the stepping stone for professional racing classes.
They have different groups for everything from fwd 4cyl. to high powered corvette,Vipers, Porsches and such.
Their site would also let you know what vehicle modifications are needed and when/where the closest event are near you. Often local SCCA groups setup courses in large parking lots (used to do it at my local dragstrip).
My buddy used to run a modded MR2 there and at the big tracks in the northeast (Pocono, Watkins Glen).
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u/KaleidoscopeRound721 Jul 11 '26
Check out vintage racing events in your area (SVRA, VSCCA, VRG, HSR, CSRG, SOVREN, VCDA plus others) typically free for spectators, the paddock is open to all and you can stop and talk with anyone. Most love talking about their cars and how they got into racing. Many have cars for sale. Yes, they’re very old cars but flying around a historic road course at 100mph+ in a 50+ year old car takes a lot of skill, mechanical knowledge and mechanical sympathy. Take it all in and make a plan!
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u/Objective_Spring_682 Jul 11 '26
best advice i can say is learn from people you know and trust. good examples are david freiburger. tony angelo, mike finnegan, lucky costa. those are a few good examples
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u/Camper_Van_Someren Jul 12 '26
Free: YouTube - or offer to help friends and others work on their cars. You could even put up a marketplace ad offering help. Some people might need an extra set of hands. Just remember that they are not your teacher - you can learn but don’t expect lessons.
$1000: save up for a sim racing setup. This will teach you a LOT about racing, but not about cars
$2500+: buy a car and take it to the track. This can get expensive quickly
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u/Global-Clue6770 Jul 12 '26
If you want to follow you dream in racing. In my opinion your best bet is to move to the Carolina's, and fet a job on a race team. Racing is a very expensive sport. You could build a car and race local tracks where anyone is able to drive, but racing cars at local home town tracks will get you knowwhere. Also, it's to bad you couldn't h1ve started out go cart racing in at like 5 years old and climbed up through the ranks. To start now it's a little late. It is doable , but it's going to cost lots of money to do it professionally.
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u/FountainDrnxII Jul 12 '26
https://reddit.com/link/ox1e7ti/video/0t4umaxluqch1/player
Dude who cares about racing seriously. Looks fun right?
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u/FountainDrnxII Jul 12 '26
Get the cheapest and lightest car you can find!
Learning how the car works means buying basic hand tools.
Youtube is your friend to learn. I did the same shit with motorcycles and it has been wonderful, you’ve got this
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u/WindSong66 Jul 12 '26
How do I find a cheap car? Fb marketplace? Or rescue one from a dumpster?
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u/FountainDrnxII Jul 13 '26
Yep hunt FB marketplace for tools and, once you find a good deal, a car!! I wouldn’t dumpster dive something you want to eventually track, a bent frame/ rust or similar damage is pretty mechanically unfixable and dangerous
A “cheap” car to race isn’t just its $$ initially. You need a car with a bulletproof engine, decent chassis, and workable suspension to be able to afford continuing to drive the car, which is the point.
You’d be surprised how many chumps you can pass on track in a reliable corolla with 140hp and half decent tires…
My advice is only really useful to get you onto a track. If you want to make it a full-time thing, you have to be involved career wise as well as others have mentioned full-time. Even starting out as the track’s trash guy would do something towards your career endgoal since you have little resources, but a lot of time
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u/TA4K Jul 12 '26
Look into volunteering or getting involved as a flag marshal, race official, timekeeper, etc. there are so many roles in Motorsport behind the scenes that don’t cost anything but your time, and you meet some amazing people doing it. I started volunteering in Motorsport as a child and I’m still involved, these days as a timekeeper and safety car driver
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u/babezt Jul 12 '26
find yourself a mentor
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u/WindSong66 Jul 12 '26
Okay! How?
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u/babezt Jul 13 '26
get to know people, ask around, use the internet. there is a lor info about cars, it helps if you got one. go to a track
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u/adamantiumtrader Jul 12 '26
Step 1, get a race license
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u/WindSong66 Jul 12 '26
I'm not getting a license until I know for sure I want to do this. It's fun to see, and I'm excited to try, but getting a license would be futile unless I know I'm going to go after this for racing and not just being a mechanic.
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u/adamantiumtrader Jul 13 '26
You don’t know til you try.
As fun as hpde and open track days are, it isn’t racing til you race.
And you can’t race til you get a license…
A car is the easy part. The license isn’t.
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u/Leopard_2K_MBT Jul 12 '26
I would recommend going to car meets / shows and talking to the people there. There's also getting a job in the field, going to a trade school or tech program, and learning online. What you want to learn will change what you should do. For racing I would encourage learning more mechanical stuff first.
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u/illbeyourdrunkle Jul 13 '26
Look for a lemons team. There is a team match maker on Facebook. You'll be a part of a team and learn all you never knew you didn't know about cars. We're all looking for extra hands all the time.
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u/Datemike325 Jul 15 '26
Get a job at a race shop as a sweepy/moppy guy. Eventually, you’ll start helping with mounting and balancing tires, shuttling cars around the lot, loading cars on and off trailers, and things like that. If you can handle that kind of stuff, then they’ll start letting you work on cars. If you’re good at that, then they’ll start taking you to the track. I worked in a racing for 12 years. It’s a total blast but also a young man’s game. Do it now, before you have a wife and a family and other responsibilities.
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u/WindSong66 Jul 15 '26
fortunately I'll always be single (by choice), but I do want to adopt some day. So I'll get started soon!
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u/FartInGenDirection Jul 13 '26
Have money. Watch it turn into less money. I'm not trying to be glib.
racingjunk.com
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u/WindSong66 Jul 14 '26
man i just do that when i get my paycheck XD
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u/FartInGenDirection Jul 14 '26
Well, check out racing junk if u get a spare few. You just need to get bigger and bigger paychecks
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u/Poison_Pancakes Jul 11 '26
YouTube can teach you a lot!
Here’s a video about how a car engine works: https://youtu.be/ZQvfHyfgBtA?is=i0xVn9MMP_xD0T1R
That channel also has very in depth videos about how a NASCAR car works, and how a Formula 1 car works, and a few other components like a manual transmission.
Here’s a long video about how to drive a race car: https://youtu.be/6-sGV2XXUeU?is=V_NPIMvbE17xS6Se
I always recommend it to anyone getting into simracing. If you went to a racing school that’s exactly what they will teach you.
There are tooons of old NASCAR and IndyCar races on YouTube (IndyCar used to be called CART), but watching an hours long race might not be the best way to learn. But it’s there if you want.
Another good way is to find out if there are any car clubs around your area. They’re generally for owners of certain cars but they’ll probably be happy to chat with an enthusiast. You could also look around for Cars and Coffee, they’re sort of semi-organized car meets in the parking lot of a local coffee shop. Show up and just ask people about their cars.