'racing-friendly' originates from Modern English, a compound of 'racing' (the present participle of 'race') and 'friendly', where 'race' ultimately derives from Old Norse 'ras' meaning 'rush, running' and 'friendly' derives from Old English 'freondlic' where 'freond' meant 'friend'.

'racing-friendly' was formed in Modern English by compounding 'racing' (from the verb 'race', which came into Middle English from Old Norse 'ras'/'rase') with 'friendly' (which evolved from Old English 'freondlic' to Middle English 'frendly' and modern 'friendly').

Initially, the components meant 'running/contest' (race) and 'characteristic of a friend' (friendly); over time the compound came to mean 'favorable or suitable to racing' in contexts like tracks, rules, or equipment.