What is the difference between regular cars and drift cars?

Race cars have cool stripes on them

Race cars in like NASCAR are not not street legal for one.

They are really souped up with a lot of things that regular cars don't need/have and more. The only similarities between a race car and it equivalent street car are the outline shape and the badge on the front. Race cars have a different gearbox and diff for each terrain and different suspension, braking, tyres and fuel tank. The engines are tuned almost to destruction and are stripped and rebuilt after every race. The engines are not environmentally emissions regulated and use additives in the fuel. The engines are mapped purely for performance. The inside of the body shell is gutted out to make the car lighter, less flamable and to make room for ancillaries, the roll cage and fire supression equipment.