Unlock Your Driving Potential At Radford Racing School

In the heart of the Arizona desert, where temperatures soar and pavement punishment is relentless, performance is not a marketing term. It is a requirement. Just outside Phoenix, Radford Racing School has spent decades proving what happens when world-class instruction, purpose-built facilities, and uncompromising lubricants come together. Powered exclusively by Pennzoil, Radford delivers real-world driving education that spans drag strips, road courses, and high-heat endurance conditions few environments can replicate.

Founded in 1968, Radford Racing School has earned its reputation as one of the most respected performance driving institutions in the world. It remains the only purpose-built facility globally where drivers can earn their Sports Car Club of America license in a single sitting, a distinction rooted in both infrastructure and instructional depth. From day one, the school’s mission has been simple and unwavering: teach people to be better drivers on and off the track.

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That mission reaches far beyond competitive motorsports. Over the decades, Radford has trained professional racers, first-time drivers, young motorists seeking confidence behind the wheel, and everyday enthusiasts who simply want to understand vehicle control at a higher level. Whether fulfilling a lifelong racing dream or building safer habits for public roads, every student enters an environment designed to sharpen instincts and elevate skill.

A map of the Radford Racing School track, featuring the main track layout, back straightaway, Lake Loop, Maricopa Oval, and pit lane, labeled with track numbers.

Radford’s training philosophy is built on immersion. Students spend the majority of their day behind the wheel, guided by instructors who are racers themselves, many with twenty to thirty years of experience at the school. Advanced multi-day programs focus on racecraft, vehicle dynamics, and high-speed decision-making, while entry-level courses emphasize braking control, steering inputs, and managing traction loss. Specialized tools like skid cars allow drivers to experience oversteer and understeer in a controlled setting, preparing them for real-world scenarios that cannot be taught in a classroom.

A race car with a blue and black design, driving on a racetrack surrounded by tire barriers.

The facility itself is a defining advantage. Since relocating to its current site in the early 1990s, Radford has operated on a property designed exclusively for driver education. The campus includes three racetracks and a full drag strip, each engineered to simulate the technical challenges drivers face in competitive and street environments alike. It is not a repurposed circuit. It is a training ground built from the asphalt up.

As interest in motorsports surges among younger generations, Radford has evolved without losing its core identity. While fewer young people are getting licensed early, exposure through films, streaming content, and simulation games has reignited curiosity about driving at the limit. Radford meets that curiosity with experience-based programs rather than rigid pathways. Students can pilot Formula 4 open-wheel cars, explore drifting fundamentals, attack road courses, or experience straight-line intensity during one-day drag racing sessions. Not everyone wants to be a professional racer, but everyone can discover what performance driving feels like when done properly.

Behind every lap is mechanical reliability, and that is where Pennzoil plays a critical role. Radford’s entire fleet runs on Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Full Synthetic motor oil, a necessity rather than a preference in desert conditions that regularly exceed 115 degrees. Students spend up to 80 percent of their day driving, placing extreme demands on engines, brakes, wheels, and tires. Despite the punishment, Radford reports zero engine failures related to oil performance, a testament to consistency under pressure.

A bright yellow race car with 'Pennzoil' branding driving along a drag strip under a clear sky.

That reliability extends even to the most extreme machinery on campus. Vehicles like the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, producing four-digit horsepower, are subjected to dozens of quarter-mile runs in high heat without overheating issues. Radford proudly refers to itself as a proving ground, a place where products earn trust through repetition, not claims.

The partnership between Radford and Pennzoil aligns seamlessly with the brand’s Long May We Drive message, a philosophy that mirrors Radford’s own Discover Driving ethos. Driving is deeply personal, shaped by memory, emotion, and experience. Whether it is a classic car, a modern supercar, or a purpose-built race machine, every vehicle carries a story. At Radford, those stories are written one lap at a time and passed on to the next generation of enthusiasts.

From novices discovering car control to seasoned professionals refining technique, Radford Racing School delivers a transformational experience rooted in discipline, passion, and performance. With its unmatched facility, decades-deep instructor knowledge, and the proven protection of Pennzoil Ultra Platinum under the hood, Radford continues to stand alone in the world of performance driving education.

Every lap tells a story. At Radford, it is not just about driving. It is about discovering what moves you.

Long May We Drive.