Producing cars aren't just about performance and getting a running engine to run on four wheels. Major car companies have to make sure that their cars have safety mechanisms that will protect the driver and the passengers. They also have to make sure that their cars can handle specific turns and specific levels of stress.

The first things that they test on new cars are the safety mechanisms. This is because they have to make sure that they don't put drivers in unnecessary harm. Otherwise, if their safety mechanisms fail when the time comes, they could get an expensive lawsuit from the customer. That is why they wreck a few cars by running them down a short strip so they can crash and activate the mechanisms. Sometimes, they have multiple blank flags lined up to get a good idea of what speed the car should be at specific points to validate the test.

Once the car passes the different tests, they can actually take it out for a spin. This is because they have to make sure that it handles stress tests well. They set up a course that will test the limits of the car that they built. Every stress test has its own course as different cars are built to handle different levels of performance. The course is built to test turning rates and braking capabilities. This means that they have to set up custom feather flags that mark turning points and brake points. The results will determine if the car is ready for the market.