What is Autocross | Can I Autocross a Muscle Car?
What is Autocross | History of Auto Cross Racing
Autocross is a motorsport discipline that emphasizes driver skill, car handling, and precision rather than raw speed. It involves navigating a course laid out with traffic cones on a large, flat surface, such as a parking lot or an airfield. Unlike other forms of racing, autocross is not about high speeds or wheel-to-wheel action, but rather about agility, braking, and acceleration over short distances. Racing against the clock, drivers try their best to achieve the lowest time through the course. Knocking over a cone results in a time penalty and if attention isn’t paid and a driver gets lost on track, a DNF is awarded.
The roots of autocross can be traced back to the 1940s and '50s when the sport began to gain popularity in Europe and the United States. It was initially conceived as a cost-effective way for amateur drivers to engage in motorsports without the need for expensive, purpose-built race cars. The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), founded in 1944, played a significant role in promoting autocross in the U.S., organizing events and establishing rules that still govern the sport today. The SCCA has made autocross a welcoming and competitive environment for everyone from beginners to seasoned racers. More information about the SCCA and their autocross events can be found on their official website .
Another prominent organization in the autocross community is the Goodguys Autocross. Known for hosting large-scale events that attract thousands of participants, Goodguys Autocross focuses on creating a fun and competitive atmosphere. Their events often feature classes for a wide range of vehicles, including classic muscle cars, making it an ideal starting point for enthusiasts looking to dive into autocross. Visit the Goodguys Autocross website for more details on upcoming events and registration.
Autocross Muscle Cars - Can It Be Done?
Traditionally built for drag racing, muscle cars excel where raw power and acceleration in a straight line is king. However, autocross presents a distinct set of challenges that prioritize handling, braking, and driver skill over brute power. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to have a full competition car to have fun on an autocross course. Even a stock muscle car can be great fun, although maybe not incredibly competitive. While building a muscle car, or doing a restomod, bigger sway bars, lowering springs, and bigger brakes may have been added to improve handling.
Just like any other race series out there, different classes have different sets of rules as to what you can and cannot do to your car. The SCCA, seeing that there was a large demand for a more open class where you could run what you built, rather than build a car to an exact set of rules, developed the Classic American Muscle (CAM) class. While there is a set of rules, most street legal American muscle cars will fit right in. Interested in learning more about the CAM class and getting involved in autocross with a muscle car? Check out the SCCA Classic American Muscle information page.
Best Muscle Car for Autocross
Not all muscle cars are created equal when it comes to autocross. With the courses being designed to be a true test of vehicle and driver performance, a smaller, lightweight car would have a clear advantage over a larger, heavy car. A ’69 Camaro would feel right at home on the course, while a ’70 Superbird would probably see some difficulties fitting gracefully through the cones. Here are what we feel are some of the best muscle cars for autocross use:
Chevrolet Camaro (First or Second Generation, ’67 – ’81)
The Camaro is a staple in the autocross community due to its lightweight body and powerful engine options. With extensive aftermarket support for F-body parts, it's easy to find the parts needed to enhance its performance.
Pontiac Firebird (First or Second Generation, ’67 – ’81)
Sharing the same F-body platform as the Camaro, the Firebird offers the same aftermarket support while offering a different exterior style to change things up.
Chevrolet Nova (’62 - ’67)
The Chevy Nova is a lightweight and compact muscle car with the straightforward GM X-body chassis design that lends itself well to performance modifications. The Nova's balance of small size and light weight makes it a strong contender for autocross, especially when paired with the right upgrades.
Ford Mustang (’65 – ’70)
Another lighter weight and compact muscle car, the Mustang is seen regularly on the autocross course. It is easily modified to improve handling and performance with a vast selection of suspension and braking updates.
How to Autocross? Beginners Guide
Getting started on your autocross journey with a classic muscle car can be both exciting and rewarding. This beginner’s guide to autocross will walk you through the essential steps to get started, ensuring your muscle car is ready to compete and that you’re prepared for the challenges of autocross racing. Autocross involves navigating a course marked by cones in a large, open space. The emphasis is on precision driving, quick reflexes, and efficient car handling rather than outright speed. Each driver gets multiple runs on the course, with their best time determining their final position.
Step 1: Preparing Your Muscle Car for Autocross
- Tires
It’s quite important to have a good set of tires. Make sure that they have enough tread, aren’t outdated, hardened, and don’t have any cracking or damage to them. Researching different racing tire types to best suit your car will help the overall experience. A set of 20-year-old Cooper Cobras won’t come close to the performance of modern 200 treadwear tires.
- Brakes
At the bare minimum, a fresh brake fluid flush and a full inspection of the brake parts such as pads, rotors, and brake lines and fittings should be performed before going to an event. Old brake fluid holds moisture, and that moisture can cause your fluid to boil and cause a soft, spongy pedal or even total loss of brakes. Different brake pad compounds can be used vs. normal street pads for better performance as well.
- Suspension
Make sure that all the ball joints, steering tie-rod ends, wheel bearings, and suspension bushings are in decent shape without any play. Shocks should be free of any leaks. Having an alignment check done will prevent excessive tire wear and will help with better handling as well. An alignment can even be something that you do at home in your garage with basic front end alignment tools. In addition to learning how to do an alignment at home, it's a good practice to perform a general nut and bolt safety check to make sure all the suspension fasteners are tight as well to keep something from falling apart during a run.
- Weight Reduction
Before your event, you will need to empty everything from the car. Remove floormats, throw out empty soda cans, and take everything out of the trunk, including your spare, jack, and any tools. Not only is it useless weight, but it could also cause a safety issue if something rolls under your brake pedal. Hubcaps, trim rings, and wheel covers all need to be removed to prevent them from flying off during a run around the course.
- Safety Equipment
A proper helmet will be required. A Snell SA2020 helmet would be a great place to start, meeting all requirements for a race helmet in any ruleset. Speedway Motors carries a wide line of Snell rated helmets to fit any head or budget. Seatbelts or harnesses must be in good condition and properly installed. An automotive fire extinguisher, while not required in most cases, would certainly be good insurance in case something was to happen. Educate yourself on what is the best automotive fire extinguisher for your application to ensure your fire suppression system is adequate.
Step 2: Getting Started with Autocross
Research Local Autocross Events
Begin by researching local autocross events hosted by organizations like the SCCA or Goodguys Autocross. These events are typically affordable and offer a welcoming environment for newcomers. There’s always an abundance of people at these events that will go out of their way to help a newbie, so don’t be afraid of asking someone to guide you through your first couple of events. Websites like the SCCA and Goodguys provide calendars of upcoming events and registration details.
Understand the Rules and Classes
Familiarize yourself with the rules and class structures of autocross events. Knowing the specific requirements for your class, such as the CAM class for muscle cars, will help you make informed decisions about allowed modifications. If you’re not certain what class your car would fit into, the guys running the event would be more than happy to go over your car with you and show you what class it fits in. Reading the rule book will answer most questions about car classification, as well as give a full explanation of running the course.
Step 3: Compete and Enjoy
Track Walk
Get to the event early enough to go through registration and tech inspection, with enough extra time to walk the track. Most events will host a novice track walk where an instructor or more experienced driver will walk you through some of the better ways to get through the track. They will be able to answer questions you may have and help direct you on how to get through the course successfully.
Stay Consistent
Consistency is key in autocross. Focus on maintaining steady lap times and gradually improving your performance with each event. Avoid pushing your car to the limit too quickly, as this can lead to hitting cones and incurring a time penalty, or getting lost on the course resulting in a DNF for that run. Watching the other cars run on track, especially the faster, more experienced guys, can help you understand where they are slowing down, turning in, and what driving lines are effective for the lowest times.
Enjoy the Experience
Autocross is not just about competition; it's also about enjoying the thrill of driving and being part of a vibrant community. Embrace the learning process, celebrate your progress, and build lasting friendships with fellow enthusiasts. You can easily have as much fun in a low budget build as you can in a purpose-built racecar. Get out there, see how you like it, and when you decide that you want to go faster and get better times, start upgrading various components on your car to achieve your goals.
Best Suspension Upgrades for Classic Muscle Cars
Sway Bars
Sway bars are essential for reducing body roll during cornering, helping to keep the car stable and planted. By stiffening the car’s chassis, a sway bar kit will improve stability and allow for more aggressive cornering.
Performance Bushings
Stock rubber bushings can flex greatly under load, leading to poor handling. If the bushings in your muscle car are still from the 1970’s era, they are over 50 years old and surely have degraded over that time. Upgrading to performance bushings is an easy way to sharpen your car’s handling. Polyurethane, Delrin, or solid bushings reduce flex and improve feedback from the suspension, making the car more predictable and responsive on the autocross course.
Tubular Control Arms
Tubular control arms offer increased strength and reduced weight compared to stock components. These control arms improve suspension geometry and allow for better alignment settings, allowing for better handling and responsiveness.
Coilover Conversion Kits
Coilovers shocks replace the stock springs and shocks with a more adjustable, performance-oriented solution. With coilovers, you can fine-tune ride height, spring rates, and damping to suit the specific demands of the autocross track surface and your vehicle.
G-Comp Suspension Systems by Speedway Motors
When you are ready to get serious about competing in autocross, the Speedway Motors G-Comp suspension line offers a complete suspension replacement specifically designed for classic muscle cars. G-Comp front and rear suspensions are designed and engineered to provide the best possible handling for your muscle car. With modern engineering and severe testing performed by the Team Speedway racing crew, the G-comp suspension has proven itself to be a winner time and time again on the autocross track.
Embrace the Thrill of Autocross with Your Muscle Car
Autocross offers an exhilarating way to experience the full potential of your muscle car. Being able to push the limits of your car’s performance and expanding your driving skills is highly rewarding. With the right upgrades and a commitment to mastering the art of autocross, your muscle car can dominate the cones and carve corners with the best of them. At Speedway Motors, we’re here to support your passion with the highest-quality performance parts and expert advice. So, get out there, push your limits, and discover just how thrilling autocrossing your muscle car can be.
