Track Car
Prep
Film, wheels, coatings, numbers and livery — everything we do to the surface of a car that is about to get abused on purpose.
We are a film, wheel and wrap shop, not a race shop. We do not touch brakes, fluids, cages or alignment. Bring us the car once the mechanical work is done, or between events.
What We Do for Track Cars
Six services, all of them the surface of the car. Every one links to the full page on it.
Quoted per car after we see it — coverage depends on what is already chipped, curbed or repainted.
Paint Protection Film
Track-spec coverage: further up the hood and fenders than a street car ever needs.
What it covers+
A street full front stops partway up the hood, because that is where highway stones land. On track you are following other cars through corners and the spray comes over the bumper and across the hood and fenders. We extend it: full bumper, full hood, full fenders, mirror backs and the leading edges of the A-pillars, plus rockers and the arch behind the front tyres.
Numbers, Livery & Graphics
Competition numbers, class letters, roundels and full event livery in cut and printed vinyl.
What it covers+
Numbers and class markings sized and placed to whatever your sanctioning body requires, plus printed livery panels, sponsor decals or a full colour change. Removable for street use between events. We build to the spec you hand us — bring the current supplementary regulations and we will match them exactly.
Wheel Repair & Refinishing
Curb rash, gouges, peeling clear and brake-dust corrosion — repaired and colour matched.
What it covers+
Track cars find curbs, and brake dust eats an unprotected finish faster than anything on the street. We repair the cosmetic damage and colour match to your existing set, or refinish all four to a new colour or finish. Cracks and bends are a separate, safety-first conversation — we inspect before we commit to any bend repair, and we will tell you when the answer is a new wheel.
Ceramic Coating
Makes rubber, brake dust and track grime easier to get off. That is the honest claim.
What it covers+
A coating is not armour and we are not going to tell you it is. What it does on a track car is real but narrow: pickup and dust release with less scrubbing, which matters when you are cleaning the car in a paddock between sessions with a bottle and a towel. It does not stop stone chips. That is what film is for.
Windshield & Light Protection
Cheap to protect. Expensive and slow to replace.
What it covers+
A headlight unit on a modern car can be a four-figure part with a lead time measured in weeks. Film over the lens takes the stone hits and keeps it clear, and many clubs require lights taped or covered anyway — film does the same job and stays on. We do windshield protection film too, and windshield replacement when a stone finally wins.
Paint Correction
Done before the film, not after. Correct first, film second, coat over the top.
What it covers+
Film is clear, so whatever is under it stays visible — and a coating locks it in. If the paint is swirled, oxidised or covered in wash marks, correcting it first is the difference between a car that looks finished and one that looks wrapped over its own problems. Doing it in the wrong order means paying for the same work twice.
Where a Track Car Actually Gets Hit
A track car takes damage in a different pattern than a street car, and it takes it a lot faster.
More speed, more cars in front of you, and a surface covered in other people's rubber and gravel.
The nose, hood and fenders
On track the debris arrives higher up the car than it ever does on the street.
What that means+
You are following other cars through corners and the spray comes over the bumper and across the hood. A street-height film line leaves the worst of it unprotected.
Rockers and the arch behind the front tyres
The worst-hit area on any track car, and the one people skip.
What that means+
Your own front tyres fire whatever is on the surface straight at the rocker and the leading edge of the rear arch. After a few weekends that paint looks sandblasted, because it has been.
Wheels
Curbs, brake dust and rubber, every single session.
What that means+
Track curbing is not the same as a parking curb but it still finds the rim lip, and sustained brake dust pits an unprotected finish. Wheels are usually the fastest-ageing part of a track car's appearance.
Lights and glass
One stone is all it takes, and the parts are slow.
What that means+
Headlight units and windshields are the two places where a single hit turns into a parts order and a wait, rather than a repair.
Hot panels
Brake ducts, exhaust exits and anything downstream of them.
What that means+
Heat is the one thing that limits what we can put on a track car. Film and vinyl near those areas will discolour or lift, and we will tell you which panels we will not warrant.
Everything, faster
A track season ages paint like several street years.
What that means+
It is not that different damage happens. It is that the same damage happens far more often, which changes the maths on protecting it.
What We Do Not Do
We are an automotive styling shop. Half of track prep is not our work, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
Get the mechanical and safety work done by a race shop first. Then bring us the car.
Mechanical and safety work
No brakes, fluids, cooling, suspension, alignment, corner balancing or engine work.
Why not+
None of it. Not as a favour, not as an add-on. A track car's mechanical condition is a safety matter and it belongs with people who do it every day and stand behind it.
Cages, seats and harnesses
No roll bars, cages, seat mounts, harnesses or nets.
Why not+
This is certified fabrication and installation. A mis-installed cage or harness mount is the difference between a good day and a very bad one, and it is not what this shop does.
Tech inspection
We do not sign off tech, and nothing we apply makes a car pass it.
Why not+
Film, wrap, wheels and coatings are cosmetic and protective. If your club requires lights covered or numbers to a spec, we can do that work — but the inspector signs the sheet, not us.
Cracked or bent wheels
We repair cosmetic wheel damage. Structural damage is a different answer.
Why not+
Curb rash, gouges, peeling clear and corrosion are ours. Cracks, welds and anything past a minor bend are a safety item, and on a car doing track speeds we will tell you to replace rather than repair.
Tell us what you are running and we will point you at a Houston-area race shop that does this properly. We would rather send you to the right place than take on work we have no business doing.
Numbers, Rules and Timing
Almost every track job has a hard date attached to it, so the honest question is not what it costs but whether it fits.
What we need from you, and how long each job actually takes once the car is in the shop.
| What you want | What we need from you | Time in the shop |
|---|---|---|
| Competition numbers & class letters | The current supplementary regs, or your club's number sheet | Same day to one day |
| Door roundels and class panels | Size and placement from your series | One day |
| Event livery, printed panels | Artwork or a clear brief, plus lead time for printing | Three to five days |
| Full colour change wrap | The car, and paint history if it has ever been resprayed | Three to five days |
| Track-spec front PPF | The car, clean, and a realistic date | Two to three days |
| Wheel repair, set of four | The car or the wheels off it | Often same day to two days |
| Ceramic coating | The car clean and dry, plus cure time before it runs | One to two days |
Quoted after we see the car, not before. Coverage on a track car depends on what is already chipped, curbed or repainted and how much of the front you actually want done — none of which we can guess from a phone call.
What We Will Tell You Before You Book
The things worth knowing before you spend money on a car that is going to get abused on purpose.
If any of this changes your mind, it saved you money. That is the point of putting it here.
Film is not armour
It takes chips, scuffs and rubber pickup. It does not stop a stone at speed, and it does nothing for contact.
What that means+
If you go off and collect a barrier or another car, film is irrelevant. What film is genuinely good at is the constant low-level abrasion that ruins a track car's paint over a season.
Track film wears out faster
Expect a shorter life than the same film on a street car. We are not going to quote you a year figure.
What that means+
Heat cycles, constant debris and frequent cleaning all age it. Plan on replacing the front sections while the rest of the car is still fine, and budget for it as a consumable rather than a one-time job.
Heat has limits
Film and vinyl near brake ducts, exhaust exits and hot panels will discolour or lift.
What that means+
We will tell you which panels we will not warrant before you book, not after. On some cars that means leaving an area bare, and we would rather do that than sell you something we know will fail.
Fresh paint needs to cure
If a panel has been sprayed recently, vinyl and film can pull it straight back off.
What that means+
We need to know when it was painted and by whom. Depending on the answer we may ask you to wait, or we may decline that panel. A repaint pulled off by our vinyl is a problem nobody wants to argue about afterwards.
We build to your rulebook, we do not read it
Number sizes, placement and class markings come from your sanctioning body.
What that means+
Bring the current regulations and we will match them exactly. We will not advise you on whether something is compliant, because getting that wrong costs you an event and it is not our call to make.
The photography on this page is illustrative
These images show the kinds of surfaces and the work involved, not our own completed track cars.
Why we say it+
We do not put fake before-and-after work on our website. When we have track cars of our own to show, they will be clearly labelled as ours.
The Process
Built backwards from your event date, because that is the only fixed point in the whole job.
Six steps, and we will tell you at step three if the date does not work.
Tell us the car and the calendar
Model, what it runs, and when the next event is. That last one drives every other decision.
We look at the car in person
Existing chip damage, curbed wheels, repainted panels, and where the heat comes out. Photos are not enough for this.
Scope and quote in writing
Service by service and panel by panel, with what we will and will not warrant spelled out. If your date is too tight, this is where we say so.
Booked around the event
We work backwards from your weekend and leave cure time in the schedule rather than hoping for the best.
Install
Clean, controlled and unhurried. Film, wheels and coatings all need time before the car sees water, heat or a track surface.
Aftercare
How to wash it in a paddock, what to keep off it, and when to bring it back for the front sections.
FAQ
Do you do full race prep?+
No. We do film, wheels, wrap, coatings and graphics — the surface of the car. Brakes, fluids, cooling, suspension, cages and tech inspection are a race shop's work.
Tell us what you are running and we will point you at someone local who does that side properly.
Can you fix my curbed wheels as well?+
Yes — curb rash, gouges, peeling clear and brake-dust corrosion, colour matched to your set, or all four refinished in a new colour.
Cracks and anything past a minor bend are a separate conversation. On a car running track speeds we will usually tell you to replace rather than repair, and we will say so before taking your money.
Is PPF worth it on a car that is going to get hit anyway?+
It depends what you mean by hit. For stone chips, rubber pickup and debris scuffs — the overwhelming majority of what a track car actually collects — yes, clearly.
For contact with another car or a barrier, no. Nothing we apply helps there, and we will not suggest otherwise.
How long does film last on a track car?+
Less than on a street car, and we are not going to give you a number that pretends otherwise.
Heat cycles, constant debris and frequent cleaning all shorten it. Plan on replacing the front sections while the rest of the car is still fine.
Can you do my numbers to my club's spec?+
Yes, if you bring us the spec. Current supplementary regulations or your club's number sheet.
We cut and place to match it exactly. We do not interpret the rules for you — if the regs are ambiguous, get the clarification from your club before we cut vinyl.
Will a wrap come off when the season ends?+
On sound, fully cured factory paint, yes.
On fresh paint, resprayed panels, or paint that is already failing, it can take paint with it. That is exactly why we ask about paint history before we quote, and why we may decline a panel.
In what order should I do all this?+
Correct first, film second, coat over the top. Wheels are independent and can happen any time.
Doing it in the wrong order means paying for the same work twice. If you are planning several of these, tell us up front and we will sequence it.
Do you travel to events?+
We are a Houston (EaDo) shop and the install work happens here, where we can control the environment.
Numbers and decals are a different matter — if you need something simple done on site, ask and we will tell you honestly whether it is realistic.
Tell Us the Car and the Date
Same-day reply. Houston (EaDo) shop, traveling nationwide for the right job.