After having traveled around a full three quarters of this continental United States on the AMSOIL Great American Circle Track Tour, I've developed a list of things I like to see, and some I don't, at racetracks. I've wanted to do this piece for some time now, but waited until I had sufficient ammunition. I feel like, after doing the upper mid-west portion this past year, I have plenty to talk about. So let's get after it.

It's an eventual truth that at some point you're going to get tangled up with another car or with the wall. When that happens, you'll need to be pulled off the wall, another car, or the track. Being prepared can be extremely helpful to track workers, can help shorten cautions, and keep the show moving along. Allstar Performance has made being prepared cheap and easy with its Bumper Hookup Kit.

Longarce Racing Products has taken instrumentation to the next level with its new line of AccuTech SMi Gauges. AccuTech SMi Stepper Motor gauges use a small electronic motor to drive the pointer. It's electronically controlled, making it much more precise than the traditional mechanical instrument, whose accuracy can be affected by many factors.

In the Oct. '12 issue of CT (One Hit Too Many), we outlined what had happened to a fellow racer who had encountered too many concussions. That piece provided a lot of educational value for us and hopefully our readership. Now, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has proven to be subject to multiple (more than one) concussions.

Quick-change rearends are an incredibly useful tool for racers. Instead of going through the laborious task of tearing down the center section to change out the ring-and-pinion every time you need to make a gear change, a quick-change rear allows the same result by simply removing the rear cover and swapping out a smaller set of gears which only requires a few minutes.

Securing your trailer, or anything else you might need to lock while traveling, has just gotten a little more convenient. Breakthrough One-Key Lock Technology offers a line of padlocks and trailer locks that are programmable to be used with your car or truck key.

A quality ignition system can be the difference between winning and losing on Saturday night. Daytona Sensors' CD1 Capacitive Discharge ignition system gives you a slew of easy-to-use features, making it perfect for anything from a four-cylinder Mini Stock to a Sprint Cup car. The Capacitive Discharge ignition system is designed to work with four-, six-, and eight-cylinder race engines, and has a 135mJ spark energy output. The rev limiter can be set from 3,000 to 10,900 rpm in 100-rmp increments, giving you a wide range of adjustability. The CD1 system also has PC-programmable advance features ranging from a simple rpm-based advance curve to a 3-D timing map (the PC-programmable features are optional and not required). Data logging capability with 16 Mbit DataFLASH memory is built in, along with one general purpose input and two general purpose input/output terminals. Inputs can be programmed for high gear retard, vehicle speed sensor, and throttle position sensor. The ignition box has fully encapsulated construction using surface-mount electronics, making it waterproof and highly resistant to vibration and shock. A 12-pin Deutsch connector is used for signal connections. Its highly efficient switching power supply is based on a patented design. The system has less than a 5-amp current draw at 8,000 rpm, and is rated for continuous operation at 8,500 rpm and 185 degrees F (185 degrees C).

NecksGen takes safety and quality to a higher level with its lightweight, simple-to-use head restraint unit. Made in Southern California from the latest carbon-fiber composite material and weighing in at just 1.6 pounds, the NecksGen is designed to work in conjunction with 2- and 3-inch harnesses. The system has achieved superior results in SFI 38.1 certification testing.

In motorsports, there are the topics that always seem to come up in bench racing sessions. Stuff like how your competition cheats, how you never cheat (we believe you), ideas for setup changes, money problems, and--let's not forget--the incompetence of the tech official. On the other hand, the topics that don't get as much play include volunteering to clean out the hauler, brake bleeding, and motor oil.

Even if you have the best valvetrain components in your race engine, improper installation and alignment can leave it huffing and wheezing like a back-of-the-pack hunk of junk. Worse, poor valvetrain alignment will lead to accelerated wear which can cause parts to wear out and break before you even make it to rebuild time.

This is a test. It is only a test, so please do not adjust your race car, yet. The following is a significant test and involves certain discoveries and logic. It's not significant just because I wrote it or because it's in this magazine. Its significance stands on its own. If you read this and don't come away with a new outlook about bump technology, I urge you to re-read it, the message is in there.

Chevrolet's crate engines have been used in racing now for several years. And while racers far and wide still debate the merits of crate racing (right along with the weather, politics, and the quality of the food at the local track), there's no doubt that crate motors are now a major part of the racing landscape.

Gorbel, the worldwide manufacturer of overhead material handling equipment, has just introduced an innovative hoist that will make life for all oval track racers much easier. The Shop Crane by Gorbel Performance Lifting System is a line of non-industrial overhead bridge cranes designed to help lift heavy loads in home garages, racing shops, and maintenance shops. That's right we said bridge crane…for your race car.

There are lots of things in racing that you can afford to learn the hard way. What's the best setup for your car? What air pressure should you run? Does a neon yellow and orange paint scheme look good on the racetrack? You get the idea.

Did you know that you get roughly twice as much fire protection from an SFI-5 rated suit versus an SFI-1 rated suit?

Electric power in passenger cars has become the rage in the 21st century. With its many advantages, would there be a possible application to racing? In the past, there have been some attempts, but the battery weight made it impractical. But in late 2011, an effort was undertaken between USAC and Columbus Electric Motorsports of Columbus, Ohio to create an all electric Midget.

Impact's new Carbon Fiber (CF) Off-Set 20 Air Draft is so new there isn't even a picture of it yet (the one to the right is the composite version). The very first thing you'll notice is that the air inlet is offset 20 degrees from the top center of the helmet. By relocating the inlet (you can order it on either side), it provides drivers more clearance in the cockpit, which if you're over 5 foot 10 inches tall you find a welcome relief. No more banging your head on the roof or rollbars.

Let's be honest for a moment--there are a million ways for you to get hurt at the racetrack if you don't use your head. And if you are in a hurry that number can jump up to around two million pretty quickly. Getting hurt is no fun, and missing out on racing because you are hurt is even worse. So we at Circle Track, being the protective mother hens that we are, put together a quick list of 20 ways you can stay a little safer at the track and in your shop. Some of these you might think are pretty obvious, but we bet there's at least a few that you aren't doing now. None require a lot of time or money, so there's no excuse not to add at least a few to your own habits. There, now you can't say nobody's looking out for you.

If you talk to practically any race car driver, they will tell you almost universally that their worst fear is getting caught in a car fire. A lot of safety equipment--like your firesuit and fire extinguisher--is designed to protect you in the event of a fire, but your fuel cell is one of the few pieces of equipment designed expressly to prevent a fire in the first place.

QA1 just announced the latest addition to its ever-popular and expanding circle track line of products--the 28 Series gas-pressurized shock. The 28 Series gas-pressurized shock includes an expanded gas chamber. This chamber eliminates unwanted rod force increase when the shock is compressed. The 28 Series also includes the tried and true features of the 26 Series, including the electroless nickel-plated body for excellent corrosion resistance, superior hardness, consistency, and lubricity and the 15mm centerless ground, hard chrome-plated piston rod that eliminates piston rod flex, increasing valving consistency.

In keeping with our goal at CT to monitor, evaluate, report on, and help direct the future of circle track racing, we offer an opinion that just might change the way we view our future. This comes directly from my longtime friend and industry insider, Brian Butler. He has been involved with circle track race teams for many years and is considered one of the leaders in the evolution of safety in racing.

Did you know that right now in some laboratory hidden away from sight there are engineers looking at ways to glue the cylinder heads to the block in your next passenger vehicle?

Kobalt Tools has returned to its roots to redesign the tools that put it on the map in 1998. The new and improved Kobalt Mechanics Tools line just launched in all Lowe’s stores nationwide and boasts improved quality and an additional 344 products to the Mechanics Tools line.

There’s more to the nuts and bolts fastening the most critical components on your race car than simply getting them “tight enough.” Bolts don’t work by simply clamping down on something thanks to the pressure you apply twisting the nut. The steel can actually stretch a few thousandths of an inch. It’s the elasticity of the steel trying to pull itself back to its original length that allows a bolt to provide a consistent clamping load. Plus, this constant pulling force that remains long after the wrench has been removed helps keep the nut from coming loose under the vibrations that come from racing.

We’ve got to admit that this may be a first for us. Every month, Circle Track brings our readers tons of hard-core tech articles showing you how to make your racing life a little easier, safer, and more successful. We’ve done stories on everything from engine builds, to organizing your pit crew, to building your own race trailer. But—at least in recent memory—we’ve never run a tech article on a store.