Quarter

Quarter midget racing is a form of automobile racing. The cars are approximately one-quarter (1/4) the size of a full-size midget car. The adult-size midget being raced during the start of quarter midget racing used an oval track of one-fifth of a mile in length. The child's quarter midget track is one quarter that length, or 1/20 mile (264 feet).

An adult-size midget in the 1940s and 1980s could reach 120 miles per hour, while the single-cylinder 7-cubic-inch quarter midget engine could make available a speed of 30 miles per hour in a rookie class (called novices), or one-quarter the speed of the adult car. Most of the competitive classes run speeds near 45 miles per hour. Current upper-class quarter midgets can exceed 45 miles per hour, but remain safe due to the limited size of the track. Quarter midget racecars have four-wheel suspension, unlike go-karts.

The drivers are typically restricted to ages 5 to 16. Tracks are typically banked ovals one-twentieth of a mile long, and have surfaces of dirt, concrete, or asphalt.

Quarter midgets have been around in one form or another since before World War II, There are three sanctioning bodies for quarter midgets, Quarter Midgets of America (QMA), the PowRi Quarter Midget Racing League and the United States Auto Club (USAC). By the 1970's, were over 4,000 quarter midget drivers in the United States. Many of today's most recognizable names in racing got their start in quarter midgets, including A. J. Foyt, Jeff Gordon, Sarah Fisher, Jimmy Vasser, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Terry Labonte, and Bobby Labonte.

Quarter midget cars can be reasonably affordable or can cost nearly as much as some full-sized racing cars. Engines can cost from $400 to $8,000. Car chassis can cost from $1,500 (used) up to $6,000 (new). Tires start at $50 each. There are many brands of cars as well as custom cars made by individuals. Cars are covered by body panels which are made of fiberglass, aluminum, or occasionally carbon fiber.

Three Quarter Midget (or TQ)

"Midget" race cars were first developed in the late 1930s, single-seat open-cockpit open-wheel machines of a size smaller than seen before. In the late 1940s, "midget-midget" cars began to appear, and soon they were dubbed "three-quarter midgets" due to their size. It wasn't long before "three-quarter" was shortened to TQ.