STOCK car racing is a form of motorsport that’s very American, with a history going back 100 years. ‘Stock’ referring to standard, the rules originally began with the requirement that the cars participating had to be production models which were on sale to the public. From 1992 onwards, however, the cars began to become less ‘stock’ as their designs became more radical.
The sport, run on oval tracks, is very popular in America with four different national series being run, apart from regional ones. There are also stock car races in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Mexico, Brazil and the UK. In August this year, Singapore will also have the region’s first ever American stock car and oval races.
This will be the U.S. Legend Cars quarter-mile race that will be part of the 2023 Goodstock SpeedFest at Changi Aviation Park. Singapore promoter Goodstock Motorsports has been given the rights to promote and host the event this year. It will be run on a specially-built ¼ mile (400 metres) oval track with the event offering a total prize purse of S$150,000 (RM495,856 at today exchange rate).
The racing series, which began in 1992, is sanctioned by INEX, the international sanctioning body of the U.S. Legend Cars, and supported by Motor Sports Singapore. The single-seater U.S. Legend Cars can reach a top speed of 240 km/h and drivers will race 30 laps around the track on the Changi Exhibition Centre grounds usually used for the Singapore Airshow.
The U.S. Legend Cars race has attracted at least 30 entries from Malaysia, USA, UK, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong.
In addition to the races on the oval track, the Goodstock SpeedFest will also have a Bandolero race for women and a Drift show. Visitors will also enjoy a performance by British stunt driver Terry Grant, whose multiple world records include performing the largest loop-the-loop in a car.
“Oval track racing has a rich history in the USA and fans are attracted to the fast and close racing between drivers. As ticket holders are seated in a stadium-style arena, they are able to watch the entire race and all the action and drama that take place on the track. In bringing in U.S. Legend Cars, we are adding variety to the motorsports calendar in Singapore and have plans to grow it in stature and prestige throughout Southeast Asia in the coming years,” said Ben Tan, Managing Director of Goodstock Motorsports.