CyberRace

Our guide to the best sites on the Net

HISTORY BOOKS HAVEN'T told us whether author George Orwell was a gearhead, but a quote of his from 1940--"Men are only as good as their technical development allows them to be"--could easily apply to auto racing. More than any other sport, the performance of a racer depends on modern technology, from the physics of wind drag to the engine's efficiency.

What's more, the sport's technology no longer is a secret shared by those involved in racing--fans in grandstands and infields across the country also have gotten into the act. In fact, sponsors are doing everything they can to familiarize fans with their technology and products. High-tech sponsors have become so ubiquitous that Gasoline Alley could almost be confused with Silicon Valley.

It's no coincidence. As we mentioned, no other sport is wed to technology like auto racing is, and naturally, some of this has been applied to the Internet for fans' benefit. While every major sport has developed a significant online presence, auto racing organizations have seemingly raised the bar. The Wall Street Journal Interactive recently called the sport "ready-made to take advantage" of the Web because of its longtime reliance on computer technology.

With that said, AUTO RACING DIGEST presents a list of 10 top racing-related Web sites, most of which are still fairly unknown.

NASCAR.com

www.nascar.com

OK, so you've probably heard of this one. In fact, based on the site's reported numbers, you've probably been there. NASCAR.com deserves a special mention because it's widely regarded as one of the best--if not the best--sport-related sites in cyberspace. The official site of NASCAR is listed among the Media Metrix 500, which isn't a stock car race but a list of the Web's 500 most frequently visited destinations. And last February, according to Nielsen/Net-Ratings research, NASCAR.com was the fourth most popular sports site with 1,662,000 unique visitors.

Aside from the best collection of NASCAR-related info, the site has a number of other features that attract fans. The good news is that the site's technology is top-of-the-line, but the bad news is that such high quality has allowed NASCAR to charge a premium for innovations like real-time, in-car audio feeds.

Aerodynamics in Car Racing

www.nas.nasa.gov/Services/Education/ Resources/TeacherWork/RaceCar/Aerodynamics_In_Car_Racing.html

Try not to be intimidated by this site's long address or its NASA domain--it provides explanations that are easy to read and nearly as easy to understand. Assuming you know that a car's drag force is equal to the square of its speed, that is. The pages deal predominantly with Indy cars and get into the lab work and research that churn out machines that top 200 mph. There's a glossary of scientific terms and detail on car specifications, design, and technology. (If you ever wanted to know about the significance of the Bernoulli Effect in auto racing, this is the site for you.)

Thunder Valley Racing

www.thunval.com/racing

Recent research has shown that an increasing percentage of racing fans are women, so it was only a matter of time before organizations and Web sites that cater to female fans were created. Thunder Valley Racing is a management and marketing company whose mission is to develop female drivers and fans. This is a great destination for women, as it features driver biographies, chat and forum areas, and links to other female-friendly racing sites.

While everyone is welcome at Thunder Valley Racing's site, it does have a restricted area solely for women drivers and their team members and sponsors. Among other things, it encourage communication between various drivers and teams, and offers articles, help on press-release writing, and other tips to advance fledgling careers.

That's Racin'

www.thatsracin.com

If you're a NASCAR fan, this site is rated a "must bookmark." The online version of the weekly print edition that appears in 100 newspapers nationwide, That's Racin', next to NASCAR.com, likely has the most comprehensive offering of series information. It features Winston Cup driver bios, video clips, news, stats, and sections devoted to individual races, as well as an area for kids only. The site also has an interactive element (with chats and forums), and serves up a weekly racing-related television schedule based on your zip code and local service provider.

Ten Tenths Motorsport

www.ten-tenths.com

NASCAK CART, and the IRL receive most of the attention here in the States, but Ten Tenths Motorsport, which is out of England, provides an in-depth look at the international racing scene. It covers, and/or provides links to, virtually every type of racing, from bikes to karts to Indy cars, at every level in every country. Chances are, you can get the results of a type of race that you've never heard of that took place in a country you didn't know existed.

Ten-tenths.com also has detailed descriptions of local (English) tracks, video clips of press conferences and races, and many other features. The directory of links also has site ratings, reviews, and the date that each site was last updated.