I have a friend who races with Russel racing at Infineon raceway (formerly Sears Point). Just some observations. The racing is sanctioned by USAC. They have 4 race groups. Everyone uses the same type of car. In fact they have 20+ cars that are shared for all groups. You use the same car for the entire day. In this case they were racing Formula Mazdas. It is an arrive and drive event. The race groups ae separated by experience, which boils down to speed. The interesting thing about the 4th group was they were all old men like me. Some even more experienced in life than I. By observation, the other three race groups seemed to be populated by ages 20 - 35+. The series really is a test and contest of driver skill. All cars are prepped equally (as best as that can be managed) and drivers are not allowed to make changes to the car at all. Simple adjustments in tire pressure and wing angle are not allowed. The racing looked similar to club racing in the sense that some were faster than others. As the race settled in, the field strung out and 2-3 car battles were forming up. Competition was not missing and was quite stiff in the fast group. Just like any wheel to wheel race they can have their share of incidents and contact. The difference here is you don't have to look at the wreck and tow it home. You do have to write them a check or give them your credit card number to pay for the damage. I noticed is that if you spun out, you had to enter the pit lane. At the designated point, 4-5 Russell mechanics went through a check of the 4 wheels and other parts of the car. I am guessing that it's something to do with safety and liability. They do in car provide video recording, for $50 of course. At the end of the day, you get out of the car change from your Sparco driver's suit and drive home. Come back on Sunday, change to your driving suit, and drop in your seat cushion and get to racing again.