Some regions require the use of a racecar, but many do not. While it is highly recommended that you take comp school in the car you intend to race, it is not mandatory in many cases.

A lot. NASA instructors will put you through a number of drills to get you more comfortable driving around the track in conditions you will encounter when racing. Those drills include the three-wide drill where you will drive all the way around the track three-wide with two other drivers, switching positions every lap to get familiar with being the bread and being the meat in the sandwich.

There’s also lead-follow drills, mock starts, races and lots of tests for flag recognition. Expect everything to be thrown at you.

Not likely, but it will make you far more aware than you were at the start of the weekend. NASA Competition School is not designed to make you faster. It was devised to make you safer and more predictable to the people you will be racing against. Speed will come naturally with seat time and experience. Some driver coaching is also a good idea.

It’s not terrible. Expect NASA Competition School to cost about the same as the entry fees for a weekend of racing or perhaps a bit more, but no more than a thousand dollars.

You do not. Once you complete HPDE3, you can apply for your Time Trial license. If you want to advance to racing, you will need to go to Competition School.

You sure can. In fact, “double-dipping” in racing and Time Trial is one of the better ways to get the most amount of track time in a single weekend. It is considerably more work for the driver and it puts more stress on the car, but a lot of racing drivers double-dip.

NASA Competition Schools across the country can be completed in one weekend.

First, you need to get through the weekend without incident. You need to demonstrate understanding of the concepts being taught, compliance with flags and be in full control of your car throughout the school. In short, you need to be a model student.

Comp School instructors are watching from all angles, from around the track and even from inside other cars on track, so they see almost everything.

When you pass Competition School, you will be issued a provisional license honored only by your home region. A NASA provisional license holder is defined as a “rookie,” and will remain so until they have finished eight races without significant incident. Once you have completed eight races without incident, NASA competition licenses are issued from the NASA National Office and are honored by all regions.

The NASA CCR Test is a written examination that is part of the process to obtain a NASA competition license. This test is open-book and assesses an applicant’s knowledge of NASA’s Club Codes and Regulations. Passing this test, along with fulfilling other medical and membership requirements, is necessary for obtaining a competition license with NASA.

• Compete wheel-to-wheel at premier tracks across the country like Watkins Glen International, Sebring International Raceway, Road America, Sonoma Raceway, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and more.
• Race in a structured environment that emphasizes safety and driver development.
• Participate in endurance racing opportunities. 
• Enjoy diverse racing series for different budgets and different tastes, with popular spec series like Spec Miata, Spec E46, American Iron and much more.
• Qualify to compete in the prestigious annual NASA Championships event, offering a chance to race against the best amateur drivers nationwide.
• Lucrative contingency programs provide valuable awards in cash and products from major sponsors like Toyo Tires, Hawk Performance, Hoosier Racing Tire, Summit Racing, VP Racing, etc. 

That depends on how much experience you have on a racetrack, but there are essentially five ways to get a NASA racing license, and they’re outlined on our Racing Home Page.

That depends on the driver. Some drivers advance more quickly than others, but a quick learner should be able to start in HPDE1 at the beginning of a new race season, and then go to competition school by the end of the same season.

With a provisional license, you can race in the region in which it was issued.

Yes, you can apply for a NASA provisional license. NASA will not typically grant you a NASA competition license if the only experience you have is the competition school. However, most applicants have experience beyond their school of choice and can be granted a competition license.

You must compete in eight races in your home region without incident to get your regular competition license.

Yes. If you have previous experience with other racing organizations, in many cases we can issue you a NASA competition license based on that experience. You are encouraged to apply for a competition license if you believe you have enough experience to go racing with NASA.

A NASA competition license lets you get on track with any NASA region all across the United States. NASA regions host events at most of the “bucket list” tracks across the country, so if you have been dreaming of racing at Watkins Glen or Sebring or Sonoma, a NASA competition license can help you live the dream!

Once you earn your competition license, you can attend a NASA Championships event and compete on a national level!

You can race essentially whatever you want, as long as it’s not an open-wheel or a formula car. NASA has lots of great spec classes from which to choose, but also fantastic weight-to-power ratio Super Touring classes in which just about anything goes.