# Bandolero (INEX)

- Source: https://racingcarnetwork.com/wiki/bandolero-race-car/
- Publisher: Racing Car Network (racingcarnetwork.com), the race car marketplace
- Type: car
- Discipline: oval-racing
- Era: 1990s
- Last updated: 2026-07-06

The Bandolero is American oval racing's first rung: INEX's caged mini-stocker for drivers as young as eight, sold turn-key since 1997 — the machine where NASCAR careers begin before Legend Cars and late models.

## Specifications

| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Engine | Sealed Briggs & Stratton V-twin |
| Power | ~30 hp |
| Weight | ~340 kg with driver (minimum) |
| Gearbox | Centrifugal clutch, single speed |
| Chassis | Steel tube frame, full cage, stock-car body |
| Brakes | Disc |
| Years | 1997–present |
| Class | INEX Bandolero (Bandits / Outlaws) |

## History

600 Racing of Charlotte — the Legend Car people — created the Bandolero in 1997 to answer the question below their own product: what does an eight-year-old race before a Legend? The result was a miniature full-bodied oval car around a steel tube frame with a full cage, a sealed Briggs & Stratton V-twin around 30 hp, centrifugal clutch (no gears to manage), and speeds capped near 70 mph — racing's controls reduced to throttle, brake and racecraft.

INEX sanctioning keeps the formula sealed and national: Bandits (roughly 8–12) and Outlaws (teens and adults) divisions run at ovals across the US wherever Legends race, with the Summer Shootout at Charlotte's quarter-mile as the discipline's showcase. The alumni list is the sales pitch — a generation of NASCAR Cup names logged their first fender-to-fender laps in Bandoleros.

The market is turn-key and liquid by design: new cars ship complete from the factory network, used cars cycle constantly through family teams as kids age up to Legends, and the sealed-spec rules mean a well-maintained older car remains genuinely competitive — the whole point of the formula.

## Palmarès

INEX national and state Bandolero championships since 1997 across Bandits and Outlaws divisions; Summer Shootout series titles at Charlotte — and the informal record that matters: the first-career-win lists of numerous current NASCAR national-series drivers.

## What to check before you buy

Sealed-engine integrity is the whole game: verify the Briggs V-twin's seals and INEX legality (tampered engines are worthless in sanctioned racing), then chassis straightness after oval contact lives and cage condition against current INEX rules. Buy through the Legends/Bandolero paddock network where cars come with known histories; a used package with spares typically costs less than a season of karting. Aging-up families selling complete programmes — car, spares, trailer — are the classic value buy. Confirm your local track's INEX affiliation before purchase.

## Did you know

- Bandolero drivers start at age eight — for many NASCAR professionals, it is literally the first race car they ever sat in.
- The centrifugal clutch means no shifting at all: INEX designed the car so an eight-year-old's entire bandwidth goes to traffic and line, not machinery.
- Charlotte's Summer Shootout puts Bandoleros on the same bill as Legends before crowds of thousands — junior oval racing's biggest stage.

## Related entries

- Legend Car (INEX) — https://racingcarnetwork.com/wiki/legend-car/
- NASCAR Xfinity Car — https://racingcarnetwork.com/wiki/nascar-xfinity-car/
- 360 Sprint Car — https://racingcarnetwork.com/wiki/360-sprint-car/
- Autograss Special — https://racingcarnetwork.com/wiki/autograss-special/