Every manufacturer's mirror is different, so without an explanation as to WHY one should do this, one cannot decide if it makes sense. Since most track night drivers are street drivers coming in for a track day with their street cars, they have muscle memory and a reflexive mirror look, using predominately the rear view mirror. On a track day, with so many things to think about, the last thing one would want to do would be to begin re-training the brain to look elsewhere for vehicles coming up from behind. Of all the prep/setup necessary for a safe and fun track day, simply make sure all of your mirrors are clean and well adjusted. Then, use what's left of your thinking energy to ensure you hit your braking marks, and apexes, accelerate out of the corner, "slow in, fast out" and keep an eye on any/all mirrors for traffic behind you. If you have a car behind you, give them a pass by. Pay attention to your driving and stay safe.

I totally agree. 

Trackday peeps, never do this. You need the mirrors, all of them, unless you have an instructor in the car and he/she will most likely take your right mirror for themselves and watch "your six" for you as I do.

Otherwise use all your mirrors. Trackdays an autocross have one similarity....they use a car.

You never answered us on why you REMOVE your rearview mirror during track events.

Josh,

Yes, my kindergarteners indeed get refunds. It's results-oriented capitalism that drives our school systems.

Prof, you need to stick to teaching kindergarten and leave the racing tips to the professionals.

Why in the world would anyone completely remove his rearview mirror for a track event?  

So you remove yours, but you were talking about repositioning it for other people? Yeah right...

I feel sorry for your students.  I hope they get a refund.

Yours,

Josh

I believe your original message was not clearly communicated. You reference autocross where drivers will push the rear view mirror up and out of the way (as i do), and then finish your statement with "In my '67 Shelby, I completely remove my inside rearview mirror for the duration of a track event".

I was also being brief in not pointing out that racers usually have multi-panel or wide angle rear view mirrors. Why do you not run a rear view mirror for track events?

In response to other's opinions: Please re-read my post and know that I was trying to avoid a dissertation.

If the INSIDE rear view is NOT loaded with electronics, there's about an inch to inch-and-a-half (2 inches in the 05-14 Ford Mustang) of free space between the mirror's top edge and the headliner. Moving it up as far as it will go AND THEN adjusting to provide a view out the back creates more awareness for the front right of the car. 

**This tip was first suggested to me by Miata owners who completely FLIP (rotate 180 deg.) their electronics-loaded rear view mirrors to see the front right corner, I tried it and loved it. 

In a similar way, road racers have a multi-panel inside mirror setup that is mounted along the upper edge of the windshield.

Every rental car I jump in, every family car I own (5), I always adjust the seat and position the mirror up to the headliner as far as it will go AND still function to see out the back.  

Love the dialog...now let's talk "left foot braking"! That should be fun...

I am trying to clear up any misconceptions about track day habits to first-timers.  Mirrors are there to help keep a clear view all around you while on track, and that's why many track cars have the multi mirror and convex mirror setups.  Your post states that you completely remove your rearview - that implies that you're suggesting to move it out of the way or remove it entirely - much like you would do in Autocross. 

So, if you're a tall guy (like myself) that wants to do more track days and you're having issues seeing out of the front windshield, you might look into a racing seat to get yourself lower.  Or even removing some of the foam on the seat will get you to a lower seating position.  There are other ways to get that front visibility than removing your rearview mirror.

As for your Shelby, I'd put a mirror back into it if you're planning on getting back on track.  

Please, do not blind yourself by pushing your rear-view mirror out of the way or removing it while you're on the track.  Otherwise you will end up having a train of people patiently waiting for you to point them by.  Making sure all of your mirrors are aimed properly and clean is imperative for track visibilty and situational awareness.  

Don't be that guy that doesn't point by.

I think that is a bad idea, especially for a novice. In AutoCross there is no need to see behind you but while on track the rear view mirror is an integral part of your track awareness.