Tony Stewart wins for the second time at Indianapolis Motor Speedway: Gwynn, Ripken Jr. inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame; Natalie Gulbis wins her first LPGA title. (July 30)
A race is a competition of speed. The competitors in a race try to
complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this
involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task
involving speed.
The Oldest Horsepower Sport -
Chariot Racing!
Running a distance is the most basic
form of racing, but races are often conducted in vehicles, such as
boats, cars and aircraft, or with animals such as horses.
A race may be run continuously from start to finish or may be made of
several segments called heats or stages (stages are also known as legs).
A heat is usually run over the same course at different times. A stage
is a shorter section of a much longer course or a time trial.
Early records of races are evident on pottery from ancient Greece, which
depicted running men vying for first place. A chariot race is described
in Homer's Iliad.