Street racing seems an unstoppable hobby

Many racers are in their teens and early 20s and drive imports that can be fitted with nitrous oxide tanks that give the engines more power. But older fans and drivers are also drawn to the sport, often preferring older domestic models like Mustangs.

Of the eight people killed and at least five injured in the Maryland crash, the youngest was 15, the oldest 61.

Mark Courtney, a 33-year-old among those killed, was into cars and racing, according to his family. "Whenever it was going on, he'd get a call saying there's a race. He loved it. That was his hobby," said his brother, Wayne Courtney.

Street races can be spur-of-the-moment or more organized events. In some cases, trash talking between drivers hanging out in a parking lot can lead to a race. ("We shut 'em up and then we shut 'em down," as Springsteen sang in "Racing in the Street.") Drivers sometimes come from several states away, pulling their cars on trailers.

Often more than just pride is on the line — thousands of dollars can be wagered.

Spotters with flashlights watch for other cars, then signal the drivers when it is clear. Then the cars speed away, usually for a quarter-mile race. Once the cars peel out, fans sometimes spill into the road to watch them go, despite the risk of getting run over.

Many former street racers have moved to tracks where they can race or watch for a fee. At Maryland International Raceway, known as Budds Creek, drivers can race on a closed track with safety equipment nearby. Spectators are kept at a safe distance.

But street racing fans say many drivers, especially the younger ones, don't want to pay $20 to race when they can do it for free on the roads. Tracks in colder climates generally shut down for the winter. And the thrill is just not the same when it's legal.

Pittman stopped going to the industrial park races after a shooting, and quit racing in the streets altogether after three wrecks, including one last year in which he ran into the back of a truck and broke a bone in his neck.

After that, his mother put her foot down.

"It caused me to obey the speed limit," he said sheepishly.

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