Imagine flying at nearly 200 knots around a set of pylons travelling 10 feet off the ground. If the thought of that scares you like it does me, then you probably wouldn't be a candidate for air racing.

Fortunately, there are a bunch of pilots who aren't scared off by that thought, but rather are thrilled. Those are the kind of pilots you'll likely find at the Reno National Championship Air Races, which happens later this year at Reno Stead Field near Reno, Nevada.

The races and air show are scheduled for September 14-18, 2005. Reno nationals are the only races that I know of where you'll see six different classes of planes, some of them travelling at over 500 mph, including sport class, T-6, and jets.

Not only that, but visitors can browse the pits and watch crews work on the planes in preparation for the races. It's an aviation version of NASCAR! Plus, there's an awesome air show to go along with it.