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National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body for one of North America's premier sports, Stock car racing. Formed in the year 1948, NASCAR will celebrate its 60th B'day this year, 2008.

Rated as the second-most popular professional sport in terms of television ratings inside the U.S., NASCAR attracts auto enthusiasts from all over the world. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series), four regional series, and one local grassroots series, as well as two international series.

With its headquarters housed in Daytona Beach, Florida, NASCAR has its regional offices in New York, Los Angeles, Charlotte (N.C.), Concord (N.C.), Conover (N.C.), Bentonville (Ark.) while its international offices are located in Mexico City and Toronto.

2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the top racing series, championship standings are headed by Kyle Busch of Toyota with Jeff Burton (Chevrolet) and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Chevrolet) trailing behind him. Check out some of the car videos.

Formula One, the highest class of open wheeled auto racing – Grand Prix is a sight for auto enthusiasts. Cars racing at top speeds of 225 mph keep a million hearts throbbing with their engineering geniuses. The right Aerodynamics, electronics, suspension and tyres add to the cars’ performance.

The F1 season starts during late February or early March and goes on till October at different circuits all over the world. The most exciting of all the races is the Monaco GP (the Monaco city streets are converted into race tracks).

For 2008 F1 GP, Lewis Hamilton is leading with 38 points; Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa are following close behind with 35 and 34 points respectively. Coming to the constructors standing, Ferrari is leading the pack with 69 points, followed by McLaren Mercedes and BMW Sauber.

After the first 6 races and with 12 more to go, it’s still too early to say who’d emerge as a champion.

The concept of Green Cars gained momentum only very recently. Till then it was a futuristic idea never thought to be successful by the masses. But this idea was nurtured by a group of scientists who were in the look out of a safe substitute for conventional cars. The poisonous emissions especially CO2 emissions from petrol and diesel cars resulted in global warming and it reached such an extent that people started looking for ways to deal with this problem and the result was Green Cars.


There are several Green Cars available in the market; Electric cars, Hybrid cars, Fuel Cell cars and Biofuel cars are some of them. Electric cars, as the name suggests, run on electric power. Hybrid car is a combination of two power sources- an electric motor and a petrol or diesel engine. Fuel Cell cars rely on hydrogen–fuel cells. Biofuel cars on the other hand have two fuel types: Biodiesel and Ethanol. The other fuel types are LPG and compressed natural gas. Petrol cars and Diesel cars with fewer emissions also come under the Green Car concept.


Though Green Cars are a solution for global warming, it plays a significant role in creating ecological imbalance. Biofuel cars with its two fuel types i.e. Biodiesel and Ethanol, which has an advantage of being readily available as it is made from vegetable oils or animal fats, are an ideal example for this. Many developing countries are cultivating crops for the production of biofuels rather than sustainable food. But still Green Cars are a safe bet because it's environmental friendly and also cost effective.

With petrol prices setting new records everyday and with automakers fighting for the 1 lac ($2500) Nano space in India, Honda has an innovation to present to the Indian Market on its 10th Anniversary, Honda Civic Hybrid Version.

With the growing middle class, India's aggregate gasoline consumption is increasing everyday and there is always a concern about the shortage of gasoline. Alternate fuel is the need of the hour. Honda's Civic Hybrid version would run on petrol and electricity, taking care of the growing gasoline concern in India.

The Price of Honda Civic is not yet finalized but is expected to be more than the non hybrid Civic which is pegged at 14 lacs ($35,000). The price is expected to be a hindrance, with an import duty of over 100%. However the Union government has recently decided to slash prices on Hybrid cars by reducing the excise duty from 24% to 14%. This effectively paves the way for Honda to launch its vehicle in India.

For Interested geeks, Hybrids are no rocket science. It efficiently saves fuel while idling by switching to battery. Thus a hybrid is actually more fuel efficient in traffic jams & city driving conditions than on the highway!!! Watch out for more on Honda hybrid cars to come.

Tuninga standard built car to suit one's personal style or taste has been going on, since the first one rolled off the production line. Most standard cars are built to satisfy an average driver's expectations and road conditions. However, most people don't like to own an average car, as cars are often seen as an extension of one's personality. Today personalizing or modifying cars to suit one's sense of style has become a major business.

Cars are the ultimate toys for big boys. And having one of the fastest street cars is a dream come true for any auto enthusiast or car lover.

Custom carsare the ones that come to their rescue. Most people customize their cars either to improve its performance, sometimes by altering or replacing the engine and transmission or as a personal style statement, making the car look "unique" and unlike any car that might have been factory finished.

The craze for the fastest cars is undying and manufacturers of fast street cars are providing their customers with some exotic car designs, combined with brilliant acceleration and top speed. To increase speed, a car is modified by removing its unnecessary parts and its aerodynamics features are enhanced via side skirts, front and rear bumpers, adding spoilers, splitters, air vents and light weight wheels. A car can also be modified to provide better fuel economy, produce more power at high RPM or the ride comfort may be sacrificed to provide better handling.

This modification market has grown so extensively that some important car manufacturers like Nissan,
Mitsubishis have even started to release certain models to tuning, performance and aftermarket specialists, prior to the actual launch, in order that there are non factory custom modifications ready as soon as the car officially hits the market. It seems that customizing one's car has taken a whole new dimension.

Lowridersare classic cars or trucks whose suspension system has been modified so that it rides at a very low level to the ground. With the use of modern day hydraulics, users have height adjustable suspension. Most of the Lowriders are vintage cars of the 1940’s to 1960’s.

Creating a Lowriders is an art that’s creating fascinating cars with modern day hydraulics that not only lower but also raise the car, and also make it hop, and tilt it from side to side. Lowriders are designed with chrome accessories, gold plating, stunning paint schemes, spot lights, wire wheels, spectacular spinners and more. Low riders also include Competition hoppers, cars built with an emphasis on the hydraulic suspension to give them a maximum ability to hop, especially for competitions. But they are less artistic and less luxurious too.

Muscle carsare modified cars with extremely powerful torque and high horse power capability. First thing that you'll notice of these cars is their bulky curves and high-performance z rated tires for which muscle cars are very much known.

Muscle cars were giants of the drag racing world way back in 1960's till early part of 1980's. Powered by V8 engine and special trim intended for maximum torque, these cars dominated the 50's – 70's era, with every man dreaming of owning a muscle car. Even females couldn't resist its looks, when a vintage car passed by.

Muscle carsare totally different with supreme torque that can take down any of today's sports cars and with elegant interiors; they make a personal style statement of their own. So next time when you hit the gas in a muscle car; be ready for a jaw-dropping ride!!!

Unleash your creativity and your personality, jazz up your cars and turn them into a personal statement with lowriders and muscle cars.