There are a million different ways to get into motorsports, and they all share one thing in common. They’re not cheap. However, some methods of entry are far more expensive than others. Recently, I was invited to drive one of the more affordable options to get into truly competitive racing, and I had an absolute blast. Let’s talk about the Legend Car.

Lightweight, stylish, surprisingly roomy, and an absurd amount of fun

If you’ve ever been to a circle track racing event, there’s a decent chance you’ve already seen a Legend car without even knowing it. They’re small but mighty race cars that wear similar body lines to cars from the 1930s. They might look tiny from afar (or even up close,) but they are very roomy inside. I had no comfort issues, even standing six-foot-three and 250 pounds.

The Legend Car gets its power from a Yamaha FZ09 three-cylinder engine. Matching it is the sequential-esque transmission that’ll make you feel like a hero as you pull back on the lever to upshift. Total power output comes in at 125 horsepower. While that might not seem like a ton from an outside perspective, when you consider that the car only weighs about 1,250 pounds with a driver inside, you’ll find that it’s more than spirited.

U.S. Legend Car invited me out to Las Vegas Motor Speedway to take one of these mighty little beasts for a test drive. While I have experience drifting and a little bit of time on a road course, I’ve never been behind the wheel on an oval track before. Fortunately, they brought out a driving simulator to get you a little more familiar. My instructions were to get it into fourth, leave it there, and use a little left-foot braking to pitch the nose in on the corners.

What an absolute blast. As I was pushing myself more and more and starting to feel the outer limits of what I could handle with the backend starting to step out a hair, I quickly realized that my limits did not align with the cars. I was running 19-second laps, but these cars routinely hit the 17-second range on this track. Still, I had an absolute blast!

How much is a Legend Car?

Graham Smith, the VP of Business Operations at U.S. Legend Car, told me the current cost of a brand new Legend Car is $18,995. Sure, that’s not the most affordable thing out there for many folks. However, for a brand-new, ready-to-rock tube chassis race car, that’s not a bad deal at all.

This really includes everything. The chassis itself has an integral roll cage, and it comes with a five-point harness. It also comes wearing a set of Hoosier racing tires. It truly is ready to go straight from the factory to the track.

So, if you’re looking to get into a competitive racing series, whether it be a road course, circle track, or dirt track, there’s likely a Legend Car series near you.