Most little boys love racing cars – and so do a lot of grown men and women for that matter. The speed and excitement that they generate, the noises that pour forth from their engines, and their colourful paint jobs and car stickers (Autoaufkleber) combine to make something that is practically irresistible to resist. All of the different types of race cars, from the giants of formula one to the stock cars and rally cars of the world, can be identified by the large colourful stickers plastered all over their bodies. Car stickers are mostly there to identify sponsors and advertisers, although they can also be used as a visual feature and a purely aesthetic effect. While racing cars would go just as fast without them, car stickers are a large part of the look of race cars, and a big reason why they are so identifiable to kids and grown ups everywhere.

Auto racing is one of the most watched television sports in the world, and comes in a wide variety of different styles and divisions. Touring car racing is one very popular style of racing, and features regular production cars that are tweaked to perfection before they race. A touring car would look much like any other street car if it were not for the bright colours of the stickers found all over its body, featuring individual sponsors and names of the companies and television networks that are sponsoring the entire touring event. Production car racing takes place in the United States, although the type of touring car racing that is so popular around the world mostly originated in Australia and Germany. Some rally car racing also features production model cars, that can only be distinguished from their slower street driving relatives by their rear window stickers (Heckscheibenaufkleber) and body stickers.

Along with the different types of production car racing, other styles of racing such as stock car racing, single seater racing, and drag racing are also heavily sponsored and feature extensive advertising both on and off the cars. The sponsorship that can be found on car stickers and painted advertisements helps to make car racing a viable industry all around the world, giving much needed funds to both car racing teams and organising bodies. Advertising is a big part of all modern sports, but because commercial stickers are actually found on individual racing car bodies, it is a feature that is more recognised with auto racing and the industry that surrounds it. Car stickers and ads also form a big part of the racing car aesthetic, and are a major reason why people can recognise and distinguish racing cars so easily.