• NASCAR racing wasn't always about clean-cut stars racing on multi-million-dollar paychecks. Its roots come from the moonshine runners in the Deep South who would challenge each other to see who could run a certain route the fastest in their souped-up cars. The same passion for speed fuels young adults who engage in illegal street races today throughout the country.
  
  

Safety

• Safety has become a significant point of emphasis in NASCAR, especially after the death of popular champion Dale Earnhardt after a crash at the 2001 Daytona 500. The series mandates that all drivers wear head and neck support (HANS) devices to protect themselves from the massive G-forces they sustain during a crash. Drivers also wear flame-retardant suits to protect themselves in case of a fire. Races are conducted on tracks designed to keep drivers and spectators safe, with the recent addition of steel and foam energy reduction (SAFER) barriers and catch fencing keeping the cars on the track and out of the crowd.
  
  Safety is rarely a priority with street racers, who eschew basic safety equipment such as helmets or driving suits to instead drive in street clothes. By nature, racing on open roads and weaving through cars on freeways and surface streets is extremely dangerous and leads to many serious accidents each year. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, at least 50 people each year are killed in crashes relating to street racing and hundreds more are injured. In many cases, these are not drivers participating in the race but innocent drivers and pedestrians.
  
  

Rules and Regulations

• NASCAR officials strictly enforce rules that are in place to assure a level playing field and fair competition for all drivers. Breaking the rules can lead to swift punishment: A former Daytona 500 winner fired his crew chief after he was docked 100 points after an illegal substance was found in his engine during the preparation for the 2007 Daytona 500. Rules in street races are more amorphous, with drivers agreeing to handicaps (such as one car starting before the other) based on pre-race inspections of cars and other factors.
  
  

Money

• Top NASCAR drivers can earn millions of dollars each year in race winnings and endorsements. Jimmie Johnson earned a $6.6 million bonus for winning the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup championship, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. led all drivers in 2008 with $35 million in combined earnings.
  
  Many street races are competitions in the form of a wager between the two drivers. This can be for amounts of money ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars, or for items such as custom wheels or seats. This can lead to insurance fraud, as people who lose items in a race can attempt to claim they were "stolen" to their insurance company.