American Iron is a group of North American

road racing Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on publ ...

classes sanctioned by the National Auto Sport Association (NASA). American Iron racing features domestic muscle or

pony cars Pony car is an American car classification for affordable, compact, highly styled coupés or convertibles with a "sporty" or performance-oriented image. Common characteristics include rear-wheel drive, a long hood, a short decklid, a wide range ...

such as

Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best selli ...

, Chevrolet Camaro, and

Pontiac Firebird The Pontiac Firebird is an American automobile that was built and produced by Pontiac from the 1967 to 2002 model years. Designed as a pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang, it was introduced on February 23, 1967, five months after GM's Che ...

in four classes, Camaro Mustang Challenge (CMC & CMC-II), American Iron (AI), and American Iron Extreme (AIX). It has large, closely contested fields of V8 powered cars. The different classes reflect various levels of permitted modifications, from the near showroom stock entry level Camaro Mustang Challenge (CMC) class, through to the "almost anything goes" American Iron Extreme (AIX) class at the opposite end of the scale. CMC, CMC-II, and AI classes have a power to weight limitation, while AIX is unrestricted. The minimum weight for an American Iron race car is 2,700 pounds with driver included. The AI class has a maximum power to weight ratio of 9.5:1 (9.5 lbs of vehicle weight per horsepower) and a maximum torque to weight ratio of 9:1 (9 pounds of vehicle weight per each foot-pound). Both are measured at the rear wheels. These formulas are designed to allow differences in vehicle handling and power while equalizing the competition and keeping race team budgets low by penalizing excessive power. American Iron races are run at al
NASA regional
events, as well as the annual National Championships currently held each year in September at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. Previously, the championships were held at

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside the village of Lexington. Mid-Ohio has also colloquially become a term for the entire north-central regio ...

External links

American Iron Official SiteCamaro Mustang Challenge Official SiteAmerican Iron rules (PDF)Camaro Mustang Challenge rules (PDF)AI/CMC Texas Region SiteHow to Build a Mustang Race Car for American Iron
Sports car racing series Auto racing series in the United States {{Motorsport-stub