Introduction to the Scene

The city of Las Vegas is huge, as is the racing scene, and there are all kinds of roles you can play. Here are some descriptions of some of the many roles to give you some inspiration on how to play your character. Some of these roles can possibly overlap, but you should tend to play one more than others.

Racers: A hardened veteran with a number of races under your belt or a hot-headed rookie coming in with the intention of raising hell and proving yourself worthy of the title of best racer. Racers drive the fast cars, and they're pretty much the stars of the show. Describe your racing style--are you reckless or controlled? do you prefer a straight track or are you a master of maneuvering? do you take the main roads or do you know every alleyway and backroad in existence? would you rather race in the city with the high stakes and danger or in the desert with the wide open spaces where you can't escape the sun? Every racer must also have a car, preferably a fast one. What car do you drive? How well do you take care of it? Do you like flashy cars, or is all the value in the engine? What's your dream car? Are you part of a team yet? What would you do upon seeing a racer from a rival team on the road? What kind of loser are you? What kind of winner are you? And when it comes to racing, how far will you go?

Mechanics: The reason the spectators even have a show or star racers is credited to the mechanics that work on their cars. These are the guys that deal with the hot headed racers when something goes wrong. Need a new timing belt? Or something simple like an oil change? Take your precious car to the shop and the mechanics will get your machine into shape. They have an extensive knowledge of not only the different makes and models but how to get them running most efficiently for your preferred racing style. They also have a pretty good knowledge about the racing scene, they just prefer to watch and work on the cars rather than be the ones to race. Mechanics work more closely with the cars than anyone, even the racers. A mechanic knows his racers' cars inside and out. What's your specialty when working on a vehicle? Are you an expert on engines? Do you signature your repairs and modifications? Do you do body work? Would you rather change the body of a car to be faster or look flashier? What's your signature style when it comes to the aesthetic of a car? Do you have neon flame paint jobs, sporty bright racing stripes, or a glossy solid finish? Do you do engine and body work for anyone who comes into your shop, or are you loyal to a team? How far will you test the limits of the car? How far will you push the limits of yourself?

Track Managers: These are the guys who set up the whole thing. Without them, there are no races, there are no venues. Are you a well-established track that everyone frequents, or are you a secretive one that migrates so the authorities won't find your location? They also keep everyone in line, make sure there's not too much heat between the racers or spectators. Some managers are a bit more loose, think a bit of a tussle before a race makes it more exciting. But others don't tolerate that kind of behavior, wanna keep it on the track. How well do you manage the people on your track? Do you rule your turf with a firm set of rules and neutrality, or do you believe in the headstrong competitive spirit?

Groupies/Flaggers: You have to be cute and you have to sell it. Those who are really enthusiastic about racing and want to be in on the activity, but don't have much talent with cars, can be flag wavers. It's an important job. You're the one signaling the start of the race. Groupies are the fans who are particularly close to their celebrity racers. Which team has your loyalty? How much will you defend their honor and reputation against rival teams? Do you seek your star's friendship, acknowledgment, heart, body? Remember to dress to impress and smile wide, wave those flags, and "Start your engines!"

Spectators: All racing fans and enthusiasts gather at the sanctioned races as spectators, sitting together in the stands! Well, those who are more well-off get to sit in the VIP box, but the vast majority of average street racing fans spectate from the stands. Say you're part of the culture but you're not an active participator. You can have any other job this vast and lively city of Las Vegas has to offer. So what drew you to street racing? Do you have any personal ties to someone involved? Is your occupation connected at all to the culture (ie: working at the concessions of the tracks) or do you work an unrelated job (ie: working at a casino)? Do you have a favorite racer or team? Do you have dreams of becoming a racer, mechanic, or other role in the street racing culture? Do you bet on the racers? Do you win or lose more of your bets? How does this affect your life? Has street racing changed you or impacted your life in any significant way? The possibilities are quite literally endless.

Big shots: The quickly-growing race culture has managed to capture the attention of the powerful underground, and they've recognized what a lucrative business racing can be. It started with organizing bets--especially profitable for the experts who knew what to look for in a winner. Then, as they grew more knowledgable about racing, they also grew more greedy for profit, and these "enthusiasts" began looking to recruit particularly talented drivers and mechanics for their own teams, funding them and gifting them with the fastest high-end models of sports cars. In this way, they can control the bets, monopolize the sport and make all the money to be had with their unbeatable teams, then celebrate their victories in the VIP restaurant. The fat cats have just begun to take over, and the streets aren't yet crawling with their teams, but the hardworking teams that built the circuits from the ground up have already begun to feel disgruntled at the encroaching presence of these built-to-win opponents. So how far up in the mafia clan are you, and what drew you to the racing scene? Are you the expert who seeks out the winning racers and recruits them? Are you the funder who makes the irrefutable offers to lure people to your team? Are you the enthusiast whose fascination with the underground culture drove you to start up a team of your own? Are you a bet handler, master of money and conning people out of their savings? What do you do when you're not at the racetrack? Do you frequent casinos? What sorts of assets do you own besides your own racing team and garage of luxury cars? Which do you love more: money, material gain, power, or people? Are you willing to play dirty to win, or do you pride yourself in earning what you have?

More information about street racing/terminology (straight from Wikipedia, feel free to go there to read more):

Street racing is a form of unsanctioned and illegal motor racing which takes place on public roads. Street racing can either be spontaneous or well-planned and coordinated. Well coordinated races are planned in advance and often have people communicating via 2-way radio/citizens' band radio and using police scanners and GPS units to mark locations of local police hot spots.

The types of street racing more likely to take place in the desert landscape are:

Drag racing
A form of racing on public roads that is only legal with a city permit. When two or more cars compete until one party is the clear winner. This differs from the above mentioned drag race, in which a set distance on a straight road is traversed. Drivers typically line up while moving under the posted speed limit. Once all the cars are ready, one car will sound its horn three times; the third time is the final signal to start the run. Another method of starting the race is to have a spectator acting as a starter. Normally he/she will use hand signals (also called flagging) to start the race. A car simply outruns the other vehicles by a considerable margin in order to win. If the winner cannot be determined, it is usually decided upon a mutual agreement, or having another race. Another way to signal a race is by flashing the vehicle's high-beams.

Cannonball Runs
"Cannonball Runs", more commonly known as "Sprints", are illegal point-to-point road rallies that involve a handful of racers. Drivers will race from one part of a town or country to the other side; whoever makes the fastest overall time is the winner. In modern society it is rather difficult if not impossible to organize an illegal and extremely dangerous road race, there are still a few events which may be considered racing, such as the Gumball 3000, Gumball Rally, and Players Run races. These "races", better known as rallies for legality's sake, mostly comprise wealthy individuals racing sports cars across the country for fun. The AKA Rally however, is designed for individuals with a smaller budget (approximately $3000). Participants 'rally' together from a start point to predetermined locations until they arrive at the finish line. 

Race specifics
A dig may refer to all participants toeing a line, aligning the front bumper of the vehicles, after which all vehicles race from a stop to a pre-arranged point (typically aquarter mile in the United States, but may vary by locale).
A roll generally refers to a race which starts at a non-zero speed, and continues until all but one participant have stopped racing. This may be accompanied by three honks which would be analogous to a countdown.
To be set out lengths is a system of handicapping that allows a slower car to start their race a number of car lengths ahead and requiring the faster car to catch up and pass the slower car. There are often heated negotiations to determine a fair number. This would be analogous to the bracket racing handicap start format used where one car has a head start over the other.
To get the "go", jump, break, hit, kick, or move is to start the race without the flagger. This is another system of handicapping that requires one car to wait until they see the other car start to move before they are allowed to leave their starting line.