College of the Canyons
Rev line: Infiltrating the secret subculture of illegal street
racing
David L. Gonzalez
30 November 2015
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High revving engines, loud exhausts, modified cars. This is the underground world of the
modern illegal street racer. Street racing has been an ongoing problem since the early 1950’s. It
is highly glamorized in movies such as Rebel without a Cause, Grease, Need for Speed and The
Fast and the Furious franchise. Hollywood and the media have sensationalized the street-racing
scene, and since then it has become an epidemic. People who engage in this sport often run a
great risk. Peace officers can give offenders anything from a simple infraction for not having a
front license plate all the way to a felony for exceeding speed limits, and fleeing from the police.
However, this is not enough to intimidate offenders that participate in this dangerous sport.
Illegal street racing is still happening in local neighborhoods. This subculture is creating
organized crime rings. Illegal Street racers bypass vehicle code laws by modifying their cars,
create insurance scheme frauds, and lastly D.M.V. fraud thus creating a social problem.
Drag racing is usually what is done when people are street racing. A drag race is a race
between two cars in a straight line for a quarter mile so that the race can determine which car is
the fastest. This usually occurs when two racers are at a stoplight, or at a long stretch of road.
They will then proceed to rev their engines; then when the light turns green or, the race is
“flagged”, which means a mediator is in between the cars, and will tell the cars to take off and
proceed to drag racing. Another way that drag racing takes place is by what street racers call
“rolls”. Rolls are drag races that are quick sprints while the car is moving in traffic to take make
the car get up to a certain speed faster than the other person. There are 20-80, 60-120, and 120+
rolls. For example, the driver of the car will be driving at 20 miles per hour then they will
accelerate it to 80 miles per hour the first one who reaches this speed wins. The demographic
within this population are mostly Latinos, Whites, and African Americans between the ages of
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19-45. Some of the commonly known places for this phenomenon are the Compton speedway,
Ontario, and Topanga Canyon.
In this scene there are three types of clusters that subdivide within their own category.
For starters you have what street racers call “Muscle cars”. Muscle cars get their name because,
they are American cars with V-8 engines, and within this group you have 3 categories. First,
there is the natural aspirated type, which means that the car is not aided by forced air induction
methods, and uses only the factory parts it came with. Next you have the Superchargers; which
are air compressors so that street racers can increase the pressure of air that is going into the
engine. Lastly, racers use what they call “the spray” or Nitrogen dioxide Systems. This is a
chemical compound that is poured into the engine allowing a better fuel mixture and giving the
car instant performance.
Secondly, street racers have “Imports/tuners” these are cars that are not from the United
States, and are usually Japanese cars such as Honda, Nissan, Toyota, and Mazda, being some of
the main influences. Within this cluster there are two main subdivisions. For starters, we have the
“swaps” which are cars that do not have their original factory engine in it and, were replaced by
another engine with more horsepower. This is done to get instant horsepower on cars that lack
horsepower. Next are the cars that have “turbos”, this is short for turbocharger system. A
turbocharger is an add on that goes on the engine, it is a turbine that allows the engine’s exhaust
gases to be recycled through an intercooler, and re-directed to the engine allowing it to have
more air going into the engine creating a boost so that the car can increase its horsepower.
Lastly, the underground street-racing scene uses trucks. The types that are typically used
are American trucks strictly because of their higher torque and horsepower ranges. Trucks can
also be equipped with nitrous oxide systems, or superchargers. There are always exceptions to
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any of these cars or trucks, but these are the types that are typically found in this underground
street-racing scene. Most trucks are not typically raced but when they are raced, trucks are
usually raced with other trucks. The reason for this is because, trucks are heavy and most cars are
lighter than trucks, which is an unfair advantage against the truck owners.
Street racers usually portray their street racing subculture, by wearing clothing, or key
chains that display the make of a car, preferably car that they are driving. For instance, a person
who drives a muscle car such as, a mustang might wear a “Ford racing” or, “Shelby” T-shirt.
They can also carry key chains with the symbol “JDM” which stands for, Japanese domestic
motors it is usually seen on people that drive import cars. The television show, “Oklahoma City
Street Outlaws”, that airs on the Discovery channel glorifies street racing behavior. The
protagonists are a team of street racers that race across the United States; they race on public
streets, while avoiding police. This has had an impact on the professional racing community
because; there are people who participate in this deviant behavior that are professionals.
However, if professionals are caught participating in these illegal acts, their race license is
automatically suspended in NASCAR or, NHRA. Street racing is common not only in the
United States but, also Japan, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, and Germany. The rules are the same
when it comes to drag racing cars in these countries.
The structure of the underground street racing scene is loosely shaped because, of its
organization. For instance, races can take place anywhere; it is not one fixed place where racers
can go to and race. This might make some miss the event due to distance; in addition, some
events are exclusive. Street racing can take place in hidden locations if some individuals are not
informed they will not go out and race their cars. This might be a problem for some individuals
that like to attend these illegal street races, or spectators that do not necessarily race but are there
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to support their friends or, see the outcome of the race. Unfortunately, this is necessary so that
these races can occur without law enforcement being involved. The fact that these subcultures
are exclusive is so that they do not have law enforcement following them. Facing various
consequences if caught street racers still proceed to illegally street race regardless of the
consequences that might be at stake.
However, there are cities that have a zero tolerance policy. For instance, San Diego has
been one of the cities to successfully put a stop to street racing. They have done this by passing
harsh laws, which punish individuals when they engage in this sport. In addition to this, more
law enforcement has been implemented so that they can control the street-racing phenomenon. In
order, to be successful San Diego implemented a “spectator ordinance” in the early 2000’s,
which makes spectating in an illegal street race, an arrestable offense (Worrall, Tibbetts 531).
This was the first time these types of initiatives were taken. This deterred crowds of people that
usually attend these illegal races, to not go, and spectate. In addition to this, fines are also
another concern to spectators because; they can be excessive. “San Diego has made it costly to
attend Illegal Street racing events, making individuals less inclined to go to any illegal street
racing event around the area” (Worrall, Tibbetts 532). In other words, people are less willing to
go if there are greater risks involved with associating themselves with this scene.
In addition, San Diego has made it almost impossible to build street racing cars because,
of the city ordinances that have been passed. A vehicle that is considered a nuisance can be
taken away from the owner. The city ordinance states, “a motor vehicle shall be declared a
nuisance and forfeited subject to its division it is used in California vehicle code 23109 (a) and
(c)” (Worrall, Tibbetts 531). In other words, if a car has a modified exhaust and sounds louder
than usual it can be forfeited. Doing this significantly reduced the amount of street racing activity
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that was occurring within the city of San Diego. A study that was done afterwards reflected that
“in 2003 data show a 99% reduction in organized illegal street racing activity in San Diego and a
79% improvement in illegal street racing involved crash mortality/morbidity” (Worrall, Tibbetts
532). It is unarguable then, that the ordinances passed in San Diego proved effective.
In the same way that San Diego has enforced Illegal Street racing, the city of Ontario has
done the same. Ontario is infamous for its industrial two-way lanes and, it is one of the
epicenters of illegal street racing. The city of Ontario has decided to do a “crackdown” because
according to officer Odell, there have been “a lot of shootings, pursuits, carjacking’s, and cars go
head on into each other” (Colvin, Ontario Street Racing Bust). This was meant to discourage
anyone that wanted to participate in these deviant acts. In an effort to deter crime, the Ontario
police department managed to close the industrial road where street racing took place. Officer
Odell stated, “Every single person was arrested for, watching or for racing, you were there it
didn’t matter, you were there you got booked you went to jail” (Colvin, Ontario Street Racing
Bust). This turned out to be successful for the city of Ontario. In that same night 200 people were
arrested 79 racecars were impounded and everyone ended up paying a $300 fine (Colvin, Ontario
Street Racing Bust). These types of busts are helping reduce Illegal Street racing activity. But, in
spite of this, Illegal Street racing still continues to prevail throughout several communities.
Due to the nature of this scene, the most appropriate sampling method for this study was
snowball sampling. This non-probability method was applied to this study because of the
difficulty in locating members of the target population, which is a subculture in illegal street
racing. Javier has been an active street racer in the San Fernando Valley, since he was 18 years
old, and is now 23 years old. Javier stated his definition of illegal street racing is “When you’re
racing someone else illegally on the streets ignoring speed laws”. In other words, it is a drag race
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that is done on any street without the concern for any other vehicles or speed laws. He was able
to describe how he became involved in street racing and, learned his deviant behavior. When
asked how Javier came into this scene he replied, “From friends, and typically from movies is
where I learned about it”(Gomez). Clearly then, this behavior was learned through differential
association, and sensationalism. Another thing is that Javier was part of the import scene, which
labeled him as an import street racer inside this subculture. He claimed, “I’m more into the
imports, and the car that I have is one of the well known vehicle’s that everybody likes to drive,
and it’s easy to modify so that it can go faster”(Gomez). The car Javier drives gives him his
status, and labels him under a specific category, which in his case is an import street racer.
Although, it is not a crime to own specific vehicles that can tie individuals with this
scene, it is not illegal until they participate in deviant act of street racing. But what happens in an
accident when your street racing? Javier claimed, “That’s what my insurance is for, that’s what I
pay for, and I have a homie that hooks me up”(Dominguez). It is granted then that they believe
this gives them immunity when engaging in deviant acts. Tony, 23, another street racer in the
San Fernando Valley, drove a Ford mustang so, he was labeled a muscle car guy by other street
racers. He claimed that he was racing in an unfamiliar road, and while racing he did not notice a
15 mph curve, and hit a wall at 65mph (Manriquez). Fortunately for him, and the two passengers
that were riding in the back were not hurt. Tony stated, “Yeah I fucked up! I thought I could’ve
taken the curve but, I ate shit” (Manriquez). In order, for him to get the insurance companies to
pay out his car that he was still paying off from the dealership, Tony knew he could not tell them
that he was racing. His auto insurance agent whom was also a street racer, and participated with
him advised him that he needed to give the company a different story, and provide any kind of
documentation so that he could get his pay out. Tony said, “I told Sergio what happened, and he
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told me what to do. I just told my neighbor to write me a receipt. He works for a tow company,
so, I just made it seem as though it happened in the middle of nowhere then I gave it to the
insurance company and got my pay out a few weeks later”(Manriquez). Auto insurance
companies, are paying out to these individuals for their reckless and dangerous driving.
Furthermore, street racers report their vehicles stolen so that they collect money from the
insurance companies. This provides extra income for street racers, and allows them to use it on
modifications for their car once it is found. For example, “Many street racers will simply
abandon their stripped down cars, report the car stolen and collect a fat insurance check, which is
then reinvested back into the car once they get it back from the impound lot” (Wade 10). Doing
this, allows street racers to have an unlimited amount of funds to invest in their current car. The
U.C.R. reports that the most commonly stolen vehicles are Japanese imports. This gives racers
the upper hand, because imports are preferred cars, for street racers. For instance, “Honda,
Acuras, and Mitsubishis-that are among the most regularly stolen automobiles, this scheme has
become virtually foolproof for racers” (Wade 10). Consequently insurances, have a hard time
proving that cars were actually stolen, because they are sought after vehicles. These kinds of
schemes are costing insurance companies billions, and have been increasing. Aftermarket car
shops benefit from these types of schemes. For example, “Fraud, sales of aftermarket parts for
sports compacts exceeded $3 billion in 2003, there was a 35% increase from the previous year.
By contrast in 1997 a mere 295 million was spent on aftermarket parts nationwide, further
putting the rise of street racing and the associated insurance fraud impact” (Wade 10). As a
result, insurance fraud is only increasing.
Alex, who works for a major insurance corporation, is currently insuring illegal street
racers on the road. He needs to meet his monthly quota selling insurances, and street racers help
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him meet his quota. Alex claimed, on average he would sell “2-3 policies a day” and “monthly
40” (Maldonado). Clearly then, both parties are benefiting from this insurance scheme. He helps
street racers get insurance, regardless of their driving record; in addition, he provided discounts
of up to “30%” for friends that are in the street-racing scene” (Maldonado). Knowing someone
that works for the insurance company gives racers insight of how they can do this without getting
caught. Street racers have a term, for insurance fraud they call it an “Insurance Job”. Alex said,
“An insurance job is a person that files a wrongful claim to get coverage for their vehicle”
(Maldonado). In other words, it is a claim that was done purposely. However, not everyone gets
away when doing an insurance job, individuals run risks, when filing a claim. Alex stated, that 3
people were caught doing insurance jobs, but he personally did not know the individuals that
were caught (Maldonado). It is highly unlikely that street racers get caught in this scheme when
they know the right people.
Another thing is that there is D.M.V. fraud associated, with this subculture. This is
accomplished through white-collar crime in emissions testing centers such as, the California
smog check, or the STAR. When vehicles, are illegally modified without proper state
certification it makes the vehicle ineligible to pass the minimum state requirements in emissions.
Street racers, use aftermarket parts that might not be safe to use on the public roads, however
they still manage to pass the minimum state requirements for smog check/STAR emissions tests.
Saul, an owner of a Smog check/STAR testing in the San Fernando Valley, helped street racers
bypass the emissions testing. By doing this it helped his business financially. Saul said,
“Whenever I do a smog check for a car I make about $17 for myself” (Robles). These small
emissions businesses are not making a lot of profit. It is for this reason, that the great strain
theory takes place here, making owners turn to white-collar crime due to their financial needs.
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Saul said, “ I charge about $260 if you want to pass the smog check. I don’t think it’s a lot
because, if we get caught we will lose our license, business, pay fines and go to jail” (Robles).
Owners that choose to do this run a great risk of getting caught and surprise inspections from the
state.
Consequently, illegal street racing is becoming a social problem. Despite the popularity
that street racing is creating in media, it shall continue to be condemned and viewed by law
enforcement as a major problem. The street racing subculture has been glamourized for decades
from Streets of Fire to Disney’s Cars. It is a dangerously addicting sport for enthusiasts and will
continue to flourish in the underbelly of American and Global culture. It is creating organized
crime rings; white-collar crime is flourishing, in this subculture. We can see two main theoretical
frame works associated with illegal street racing, Great strain and Differential association. For
instance, some individuals need to make more money, because their business is not providing
enough money, or need to meet a quota. On the other hand, others do not want to see their
friends get caught, and will advise them how to get out of trouble. However, it is still too early to
determine this. More qualitative interviews are needed so that future research could confirm that
these are the leading contributors, and a solution for this growing social problem.
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Works Cited
Colvin, Deondre. “Ontario Street Racing Bust”. You Tube. You Tube, 18 April, 2013.Web.17
October 2015. < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NV3DrI_VJw>
Dominguez, Javier. Personal Interview. 17 September 2015.
Gomez, Javier. Personal Interview. 01 October 2015.
Maldonado, Alex. Personal Interview. 23 October 2015.
Manriquez, Tony. Personal Interview. 29 September 2015.
Robles, Saul. Personal Interview. 29 October 2015.
Wade, Jared. "The Fast and the Fraudulent." 1 Apr. 2005, 52nd ed.: 1-10. Risk Management.
Web. 27 October 2015.
Worrall, John, and Stephen Tibbetts. "Explaining San Diego's Decline in Illegal Street-Racing
Casualties." 23 Dec. 2006, 4th ed.: 530-544. Justice Quarterly. Web. 13 October 2015.