One of the remits for Jason Statham and his numerous fight scenes in the film was that he should never resort to martial arts as that would be too reminiscent of his Transporter films.
Sections 2204 and 2207 of Title 44 of the US Criminal Code, as seen in the legalese in parentheses at the end of the disclaimer preceding Death Race ("Title 44, US Criminal Code, Section 2204 and 2207"), actually are "Restrictions on access to Presidential records", and "Vice-Presidential records", respectively.
In the opening shots of the movie's first race, the front zoomed view of Frankeinstein's car show the machine guns mounted on the driver's side of the vehicle, where as a few frames later when seen from further away, the guns are mounted on the passenger's side.
Coach: [from track #1 of the soundtrack]
Now pay close attention. You may not know it, but the next Great Depression is right around the corner. People will lose their jobs, then their homes. It's gonna be the perfect time for The Race, a Hard Sport for a Hard Age. Millions watch the raw footage streamed live over the Net. The drivers are convicts, and the rules are simple: It's kill, or be killed. Frankenstein had lived through it made with a steel mask as the crowd's favorite. Behind that plate is a face so torn up and burned from the half a dozen crashes that nobody can stand the sight of him. But shoot him, burn him, run him over, he just won't die. He's won four races. Just one more and he wins the ultimate prize... Freedom.
Jensen Ames: [after being introduced to three gay cell mates there is the sounds of a fight. The guards walk back the see Ames standing at the cell door with the bodies of his three cell mates on the floor]
They Slipped.
Death Race is a remake of the 1975 film Death Race 2000 with a new script written by English director Paul W.S. Anderson. It is not based on the 1976 arcade game Death Race, which was inspired by the 1975 film.
Q
What are the differences between the theatrical version and the unrated edition?
A
The R-rated theatrical version was not cut to obtain the rating. The unrated edition extends some fights and action scenes and runs more than 4 minutes longer. A detailed comparison between both versions can be found here.
Q
In what year does 'Death Race' take place?
A
It isn't exactly stated when Death race takes place. It is stated in the prologue that in 2012 the economy collapsed and that before Death Race there were Gladiator type battles. So it can be assumed that it is at least a decade after the Cage Fights started which was probably around 2015, so we can assume this takes place in 2025.