Editing Auto racing (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of auto racing}}
[[File:1894 paris-rouen - albert lemaître (peugeot 3hp) 1st.jpg|thumb|[[Albert Lemaître]] classified first in his [[Peugeot Type 5]] 3hp in the [[Paris–Rouen (motor race)|Paris–Rouen]].<!-- Note discrepancy that text below states that Peugeot (the car manufacturer) was the winner. -->]]
[[File:Fernand Gabriel Mors Paris-Madrid 1903.jpg|thumb|Fernand Gabriel driving a [[Mors (automobile)|Mors]] in [[Paris–Madrid race|Paris-Madrid]] 1903]]
[[File:Brooklands Members' Banking from bridge.jpg|thumb|A remaining section of the [[Brooklands]] track in 2007]]

The first prearranged match race of two self-powered road vehicles over a prescribed route occurred at 4:30 A.M. on August 30, 1867, between [[Ashton-under-Lyne]] and [[Old Trafford]], England, a distance of {{Convert|8|mi|km|abbr=on|sp=us}}. It was won by the carriage of [[Isaac Watt Boulton]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Isaac_Watt_Boulton|title=Isaac Watt Boulton |website=gracesguide.co.uk |access-date=2016-07-27}}</ref>

Internal combustion auto racing events began soon after the construction of the first successful [[gasoline]]-fueled automobiles. The first organized contest was on April 28, 1887, by the chief editor of Paris publication ''{{Lang|fr|Le Vélocipède}}'', Monsieur Fossier.<ref name="8W"/> It ran {{convert|2|km}} from Neuilly Bridge to the Bois de Boulogne.

On July 22,<ref>{{cite web|url= https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k613226v |title=Le Petit journal |page=1 |date=July 23, 1894 |website=Gallica |language=fr |access-date=2019-09-02}}</ref> 1894, the Parisian magazine ''{{Lang|fr|[[Le Petit Journal (newspaper)|Le Petit Journal]]}}'' organized what is considered to be the world's first motoring competition, from Paris to Rouen. One hundred and two competitors paid a 10-[[franc]] entrance fee.<ref name="8W"/>

The first American automobile race is generally considered to be the Thanksgiving Day [[Chicago Times-Herald race|''Chicago Times-Herald'' race]] of November 28, 1895.<ref name="berger" /> Press coverage of the event first aroused significant American interest in the automobile.<ref name = "berger">{{cite book|first=Michael L. |last=Berger |title=The automobile in American history and culture: a reference guide |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=oRwMv8iNP-MC&pg=PA278 |year=2001 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-313-24558-9| page=278 }}</ref>

The [[Targa Florio]] was an open road [[Endurance racing (motorsport)|endurance]] automobile race held in the mountains of [[Sicily]], Italy near the island's capital of [[Palermo, Sicily|Palermo]]. Founded in [[1906 Targa Florio|1906]], it was the oldest [[sports car racing]] event, part of the [[World Sportscar Championship]] between 1955 and 1973, and it was discontinued in 1977.

The oldest surviving sports car racing event is the [[24 Hours of Le Mans]], begun in 1923. It is run by the [[Automobile Club de l'Ouest|Automobile Club of the West]] (ACO). Team [[Ferrari]] won the race in 2023.

With auto construction and racing dominated by France, the French automobile club ACF staged a number of major international races, usually from or to Paris, connecting with another major city, in France or elsewhere in Europe.

[[Aspendale Racecourse]], in Australia, was the world's '''first purpose-built motor racing circuit''', opening in January 1906. The pear-shaped track was close to a mile in length, with slightly banked curves and a gravel surface of crushed cement.

[[Brooklands]], in Surrey, England, was the first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing venue, opening in June 1907.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Autocar |volume=127 |issue=3731 |last=Sammy |first=Davis |author-link=S. C. H. "Sammy" Davis |title=How Brooklands started |page=43 |date=August 17, 1967}}</ref> It featured a {{convert|4.43|km|2|abbr=on}} concrete track with high-speed banked corners.

One of the oldest existing purpose-built and still in use automobile race course in the United States is the {{convert|2.5|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]] in [[Speedway, Indiana]]. It is the largest capacity sports venue of any variety worldwide, with a top capacity of some 257,000+ seated spectators.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_menu/stadium_list/100000.shtml |title=Stadium List: 100 000+ Stadiums |website=worldstadiums.com|access-date=2013-09-02 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061023205044/http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_menu/stadium_list/100000.shtml |archive-date=October 23, 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

NASCAR was founded by [[Bill France Sr.]] on February 21, 1948, with the help of several other drivers. The first NASCAR "[[Strictly Stock]]" race ever was held on June 19, 1949, at [[Daytona Beach, Florida]], U.S..

From 1962, sports cars temporarily took a back seat to [[Grand tourer|GT cars]], with the {{Lang|fr|[[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile]]|italic=no}} (FIA) replacing the World Championship for Sports Cars with the International Championship for GT Manufacturers.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jenkinson |first1=Dennis |title=The Automobile Year Book of Sports Car Racing |date=1983 |publisher=Motorbooks International |isbn=9782880011291}}</ref>

From 1962 through 2003, NASCAR's premier series was called the Winston Cup Series, sponsored by [[R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company]] cigarette brand [[Winston (cigarette)|Winston]]. The changes that resulted from RJR's involvement, as well as the reduction of the schedule from 56 to 34 races a year, established 1972 as the beginning of NASCAR's "modern era".

The [[IMSA GT Series]] evolved into the [[American Le Mans Series]], which ran its first season in 1998.<ref>{{cite news|last=Perez|first=A.J.|title=Le Mans series showcases prototype race cars|url= http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/motor/2007-08-29-lemans-motor_N.htm |access-date=August 20, 2008 |work=USA Today |publisher=Gannett Company |date=August 30, 2007}}</ref> The European races eventually became the closely related [[Le Mans Series|European Le Mans Series]], both of which mix prototypes and GTs.

{{Lang|es|[[Turismo Carretera]]|italic=no}} (TC) is a popular touring car racing series in Argentina, and one of the oldest car racing series still active in the world. The first TC competition took place in 1931 with 12 races, each in a different province. Future Formula One star [[Juan Manuel Fangio]] (Chevrolet) won the 1940 and 1941 editions of the TC. It was during this time that the series' Chevrolet-Ford rivalry began, with Ford acquiring most of its historical victories.

Over the last few years, auto racing has seen a [[Transformative use|transformative]] shift, echoing past pivots.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}} The industry, much like the [[car]]s it [[champion]]s, has had to navigate through a global [[pandemic]] and a persistent chip shortage, each threatening to derail [[production schedule]]s.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}} At the same time, a new course is being charted towards an electric future, a dramatic change in direction that is challenging the old guard of gasoline engines. There is also a growing number of events for electric racing cars, such as the [[Formula E]], the [[Eco Grand Prix]] or the [[FIA Electric GT Championship|Electric GT Championship]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sheikh |first=Shahzad |date=2024-05-25 |title=Electric motorsports: racing towards the future |url=https://evlife.world/en/ae/tech/electric-motorsports-racing-towards-the-future/ |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=EVLife |language=en-US}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}