Essay On Street Racing

Car Ethos Explains the Causes of Street Racing

A Mark IV Toyota Supra and Chevy Camaro SS pull up at a red light on a lonesome stretch of flat road amongst a dimming blue sky; the drivers nod at one another, rev the engines, and jam the accelerator pedals. When two drivers try to outrace each other on public streets, automobile driving makes a turn into the illegal form of motor racing known as street racing. Several possible causes to this aggressive street driving include a recent release of movies that inspire racing by the desire to fulfill the adrenaline rush raging in young people, the overall convenience of street racing, and most importantly, a way for teenagers to achieve nobility status in a short a time.

Media

through the advent of video games, movies, and music promotes the coolness of street racing by allowing the viewer to experience the same thrill as the character. For example, video games like Need for Speed and Forza place the player in fast cars that take part in speed events like sprint races, encouraging the gamer to cross the finish line first and be the fastest. The player’s reputation builds by accumulating points and begins to rule the streets by earning money to build an awesome collection of dream cars. Basically, maneuverable driving skills determine the street racer’s notoriety and respectability. Further, in the movie Rush, the story of motor racing centers on the rivalry between two drivers, James Hunt and Niki Lauda, willing to die for the sport of racing. In one scene, Niki Lauda wins the love of a socialite by giving into her woes to street race through the countryside by which Lauda shoves down the gas pedal weaving in and out of traffic swerving to avoid trucks. Finally, Capone’s musical lyrics in I Need Speed, state that the “nitro button itching, do donuts in the rain” as a description of driving a car. Capone describes how the fearless take the lead “like Mario Andretti I’m heavy upon that gas pedal.” The lyrics to this song suggest that if a driver has style by precisely controlling his car, riches and fame will follow into the scene. To the young driver, cars during a street race are not only insanely fast but ascend personal stardom just as fast.
Even though these street competitions can take place at the local track, more external causes of street racing exist that override the risk of losing a license or a jail sentence.

First, a trip to the track takes longer than a street race, since the closest track in the southwest suburbs of Chicago is an hour away. Going to the track is a hassle versus the get set, ready, go drag race down the street. Simply, street racing is nearby and does not disturb anyone as the contest usually takes place in the dead of the night or in the wee hours of the morning. Secondly, legal racing at a circuit track costs hundreds of dollars. Drag strips are shorter, most commonly a quarter of a mile, than the longer circuit tracks, but the entrance fee is about twenty dollars, which adds up over repeated visits. On the other hand, street racing is free and in 20 seconds, a winner emerges from the duo. Lastly, racing at a track puts enormous stress on a car. By driving fast for extended periods on a track, consider the brakes and tires shot since both will need replacement from tracking over 200 miles per hour. In addition, launching a car from a dead stop at a track versus from a rolling start, as in street racing, is more difficult and can easily ruin the car. Although street racing is not as organized as track racing, impromptu racing has the advantages of availability, affordability, and economic

practicability.
The final cause of street racing deals with the notion that a teen can achieve popularity by owning a flashy car, but by adding the title of “racer”, a popular status increases to a celebrity ranking. Since street racing is against the law, teens get an adrenaline rush from winning a race and escaping police retaliation. Peers witness the adolescent as maturing by having the guts, the skill, and the nerve to break away from parental strings by living on the edge. My friend, Jack (not his real name) says, “Street racing is a means to do my own thing without drinking, doing drugs, or smoking.”