Editing Stock car racing (section)

== Types of cars ==
[[File:NASCAR BuschNemechek Cars.jpg|thumb|left|235px|NASCAR Cup Series cars competing]]
[[File:BrettSontag2010LateModelRockfordSpeedway.jpg|thumb|right|235px|[[ASA Late Model Series]] car on an asphalt track]]
A stock car, in the original sense of the term, is an automobile that has not been modified from its original factory configuration. Later the term ''stock car'' came to mean any production-based automobile used in racing.  This term is used to differentiate such a car from a "[[Racing cars|race car]]", a special, custom-built car designed only for racing purposes.

The degree to which the cars conform to standard model specs has changed over the years and varies from country to country. Today most American stock cars may superficially resemble standard American family [[sedan (car)|sedans]] but are in fact [[Silhouette racing car|silhouette]] cars: purpose-built racing machines built to a strict set of regulations governing the car design ensuring that the [[chassis]], [[suspension (vehicle)|suspension]], engine, etc. are architecturally identical to those in stock production vehicles. For example, NASCAR Cup Series race vehicles now require [[fuel injection]].  In the UK and New Zealand there is a racing formula called stock cars, but the cars are markedly different from any road car. In Australia there was a formula that was quite similar to NASCAR called [[Australian Stock Car Auto Racing|AUSCAR]].

The Racecar-Euro Series began in 2009 and was sanctioned by NASCAR as a touring series in 2012, currently operating as the [[NASCAR Whelen Euro Series]].

===Street stock and pure stock===
{{Further|Production car racing}}
"True" stock car racing, which consists of only street vehicles that can be bought by the general public, is sometimes now called "street stock", "pure stock", "hobby stock", "showroom stock", or "U-car" racing. In 1972, [[SCCA]] started its first showroom stock racing series, with a price ceiling on the cars of $3,000. Some modern showroom stock racing allows safety modifications done on showroom stock cars.

Super stock classes are similar to street stock, but allow for more modifications to the engine.  Power output is usually in the range of 500–550 [[horsepower]] (373–410 [[kilowatt]]s).  Tire width is usually limited to {{convert|8|in|mm|abbr=on}}.<ref name=StockCarRacing>[http://www.stockcarracing.com/featuredvehicles/scrp_0804_different_class_stock_cars/index.html StockCarRacing.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090408084758/http://www.stockcarracing.com/featuredvehicles/scrp_0804_different_class_stock_cars/index.html |date=2009-04-08 }}"Different Class Stock Cars" Retrieved May 8, 2009</ref>

Some entry level classes are called "street stock", and are similar to what is often called "[[banger racing]]" in England.

===Modifieds===
{{Main|Modified stock car racing}}
Modified stock cars resemble a hybrid of open wheel cars and stock cars. The rear wheels are covered by fenders but the front wheels and engine are left exposed. First popular in the United States after World War II, this type of racing was early-on characterized by its participants' modification of passenger cars in pursuit of higher speeds, hence the name. In many regions, particularly on the east coast, modified racing is considered the highest class of stock cars in local racing.

NASCAR officially sanctions the [[NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour]] which is the oldest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR. The [[SMART Modified Tour]], at one point was the [[NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour]], is another prominent modified tour.

===Late models===
{{Main|Late model{{!}}Late model racing}}
[[File:ScottBloomquist2008EastBayWinternationals.jpg|thumb|left|235px|A late model car on a dirt track]]
In many areas of the country [[late model]]s are usually the highest class of stock cars in local racing.<ref name="StockCarRacing" />  Rules for construction of a late model car vary from region to region and even race track to race track. The most common variations (on paved tracks) include super late models (SLMs), pro Late models (PLMs), late model stock cars (LMSCs), and limited late models (LLMs). A late model may be a custom built machine, or a heavily modified streetcar. Individual sanctioning bodies (like NASCAR, [[American Canadian Tour|ACT]], [[Pro All Star Series|PASS]], UARA, [[American Speed Association|ASA]], [[CARS Tour]], etc.) maintain their own late model rule books, and even individual racetracks can maintain their own rule books, meaning a late model that is legal in one series or at one track may not be legal at another without modifications. The national touring series, the [[NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Series]], originated from local late model races in the east coast of the U.S. This division was later called the "Busch Series", the "Nationwide Series", and currently the "Xfinity Series" as its [[title sponsor]] changed.

Late model racing has a very big following throughout the country. Many of the biggest late model races have very large purses, some equivalent to some NASCAR Truck and Xfinity Series races, that attract drivers from all over the country including Cup, Xfinity, and Truck drivers. Despite NASCAR officially sanctioning the [[NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series]] as a national championship, series such as the [[CARS Tour]], [[American Speed Association|ASA]], UARA, and the [[American Canadian Tour|ACT]] draw the biggest attention and sanction most of the biggest races in the country.