A distance detecting device is mounted on a user's vehicle to detect a distance between the user's vehicle and a leading vehicle moving in front of the user's vehicle. The distance detecting device communicates with a processing device, which applies race based distance rules to determine whether the user's vehicle is close to or incurring a penalty based at least on the distance between the user's vehicle and the leading vehicle. An indication can be given to the user regarding an impending penalty and/or when a penalty is incurred. Similarly, the device can be read to apply a penalty. Various modifications can be made to allow for recording, display, and transmission of racing and penalty statistics, enabling and disabling recordation of penalty occurrences, tailoring the penalty determinations to a given race, and mounting the distance detecting device to a vehicle.