One of the things associated with car racing is luxury. And while not many people can afford to have or own one of those machines they use, it doesn't hinder fans from watching and enjoying car races.
And if you've been watching races before, surely, you've already seen a couple of cars getting wrecked during a race. And you might be wondering, what happens to those wrecked race cars? If you want to know the answer to that question, continue reading.
Recycled
This may surprise you, but car racing associations and teams are very highly efficient when it comes to their cars. In most cases, when a racing car gets wrecked, every part of it will be repurposed, especially since most racing organizations prioritize recycling. They work with reputable companies specializing in wrecking or shredding cars to be repurposed. There are also businesses offering car removal services. Most companies pay cash and offer assistance to deal with the wrecked vehicle responsibly.
The organizations involved aren't doing it for the planet or environmental concerns. It just makes perfect sense from a business standpoint. They believe that each and every part of their racing machines doesn't deserve to be thrown and left in a landfill.
When a racing car gets wrecked, they're immediately disassembled. And this will probably be prominent if racers start to use electric cars. All the useable parts are immediately stored. Meanwhile, the damaged or totally wrecked car gets sent to third-party recycling centers, which will be disassembled and reused if possible. Most of the time, these parts are shredded back into raw steel. According to some car wreckers, it only takes half a minute for them to smash and crush a car flat. And to refine it further, flattened cars are sent to powerful crushing hammers.
While most flattened and crushed cars are reused as raw materials, some racing car owners often request that wreckers turn their cars into solid steel cubes they can take home. Some would use their cubed cars on coffee tables, and some would leave them in their living rooms as a display. This can serve as a memento, especially for those who don't want to part with their beloved machines.
Meanwhile, tires are often dusted and later used as fillers on playgrounds and artificial turfs. On the other hand, the US Postal Service and military collect grease and oil to be refined. Major trucking companies sometimes request some as well.
Left In Some Vacant Lot
While some love to take their wrecked car in the form of a cube, some drivers would rather collect their wrecked machines in a nearby empty lot. Some drivers would rather leave their cars on an empty farm where they will be weathered and forgotten. People in the industry call these lots and farms graveyards.
Reused As Souvenirs
In some cases, some drivers would let people take a few parts of the race car to give away as souvenirs. You may see that many people are selling parts, sheets, and patches of wrecked cars from popular drivers and teams.
Know that some parts of the cars can become valuable collectible items. For example, some would use the car seat as a chair in their living room. Some may take the driving wheel and hang it on their home as memorabilia.
Stored For Various Reasons
You can even say that racing organizations and teams are excellent hoarders. If some of the parts of a wrecked car are still functioning, they will go out of their way to store them for later use. However, because car technology evolves too fast, these stored parts can become obsolete.
So, it's no secret that some of the teams' warehouses are full of fully functional racing parts that are often left to dust. According to them, they would rather keep them and give them out when somebody needs them.
Some teams will sometimes allow other teams and leagues to purchase their spare parts. However, it only usually happens in small car race leagues. Or if the organization has regional teams all over the country, they would often trade and sell with those smaller teams.
Conclusion
Aside from being economical, racing organizations often work on their wrecked cars to preserve and maximize their technology. After all, most of the parts they're using are top-of-the-line, with many being unavailable on the market. Because of that, most would rather resuscitate a car by replacing the damaged parts instead of throwing them out immediately out of its racing career.
It's rare for any part of a race car to be dumped on the field. Each part is often repurposed, recycled, and reused by many different organizations. If a certain car has sentimental value to its owner, they're either taken home as a souvenir or laid to rest in car graveyards. And when some people get a hold of some of the parts, they're often sold as memorabilia or trinkets.
