Late on Saturday nights, groups of outlaws gather on deserted back roads to have a little high-speed fun. They are there for one reason only: drag racing. Not too long ago this type of gathering was reserved for the V8 driving speed freaks that felt the need for speed; but now all types of cars gather to get their daily dose of adrenaline, and to possibly make a little money. The cars are usually divided into two groups. The first group features the traditional racecars, their huge and powerful engines, include the Ford Mustangs and Chevrolet Camaros. The second group consists of the underdogs, small import sport cars like Honda Civics and Acura Integra's, with seemingly puny engines. A couple of years ago import cars would have been laughed off the street by the domestic drivers. But recently V8 drivers have been on the defensive due to the new generation of high-tech hotrods that are capable of creating huge amounts of horsepower from extremely small engines. This drag war has also sparked a huge onslaught of "trash talking" between the domestic and import drivers; of course, both sides seem to think their cars are superior and will hear nothing otherwise.
At first glance it may seem that domestic cars have an incredible engine over import cars. The most obvious advantage that domestic cars have is the larger engine displacement. Most popular domestic racers have large V8 engines over five liters of displacement. When comparing the size to the smaller four cylinder vehicles, which have less than two liters, a large difference can be seen. According to the old racer's rule, "There is no replacement for displacement" the domestic cars should have a clear-cut advantage.
Import racers have taken extreme measures to overcome this insurmountable handicap. One advantage they have over domestic cars is the great weight advantage. Some import cars can weigh a little more than a domestic engine.
