Drivers practice, qualify or race in preliminary heats, and then compete in a main event called the feature. The exact format changes from track to track, but figure out who starts where, narrow the field if necessary, then turn everybody loose for the race that counts most.

Dirt tracks can evolve dramatically as moisture leaves, grooves move and loose material builds up. Asphalt is generally more consistent, which puts more emphasis on precision, braking and tire management. Both are short-track racing, but they ask very different things from the cars and drivers.

The main classes of short-track race cars include late models, modifieds, sprint cars, stock cars, sportsman or limited divisions, four-cylinder compacts, Legends cars and several entry-level classes. Learning the major families is more useful than memorizing every class name.

Grassroots racing is motorsports organized primarily around local tracks, local competitors and regional communities rather than major national professional series. In American short-track racing, that means the Saturday-night dirt and asphalt tracks where family teams, independent racers, small businesses, promoters, officials and fans have built a racing culture that existed long before modern NASCAR became a national television sport.

The main flags in short-track racing are green for racing, yellow for caution, red for stop, white for one lap remaining, checkered for the finish and black for a penalty or instruction from officials. You may also see blue, crossed flags or other signals depending on the track or sanctioning body. Learn those six basic flags and you can follow most of a race without needing to memorize the entire rulebook.