I'm gonna address your fist question by sentence.
ccooke wrote:1. Is hard, close racing allowed here or would that get us kicked out?
This depends a lot on what YOUR definition of "hard, close racing..." is. If you think you'd like use another another car for extra braking into a corner, or to help you make a corner that you're unable to make unassisted then you will be disappointed about the penalties you receive over the weekend. There is hard, close racing that is just that racing, not demolition derby. I have had "fast" (BMW's and Miatas) cars treat me as though they have a right to my spot on the track. Sometimes they bounce off and go agricultural, and sometimes there is minor contact, and once I was taken out of the race. The first two, Meh, it didn't bother me. The last however really sucks. Ask yourself, "Do I want to be responsible for ruining someone's weekend, wasting their money, and time?" If your answer is along the lines of "Eh, it's racing" then you will not be happy in Lemons.
ccooke wrote: I see a lot of people come here with a car dressed up silly like ghostbusters, mario kart, etc.
KeiCarMike addressed this, but here's a bit more...The series got started because racing is too expensive for the average enthusiast, and racers were too stuck up to make noobs feel welcome (This is a generalization and is in no way directed at anyone in particular.) Racing a car on a track with the circus is an interesting experience. Racing with people who have barely ever turned their steering wheel above 30 mph is kinda mind boggling.
ccooke wrote:But I want to be in the competitive side of these events.
While not an indicator of your performance, the odds are against you being truly competitive in your first year of Lemons racing.
Can you pass people? You sure can. Will you get passed by others? Abso-f#¢king-lutely.
ccooke wrote: I don't want to show up and hear "Remember to keep a car length between each other" or "No bumping".
Ask yourself, if you heard those words at the event, is your racecraft so poor that you couldn't stand to be on track?
If "YES" pick another series that doesn't care if some asshat destroys another competitor's cars.
Lemons is a great community, friendly (not me, of course, but other's are), helpful (name a series that has competitors willing to help you finish building your entry at the track the day before the race), welcoming, and low stress. We're racers, and some are REAL RACERS™.
REAL RACERS™, mostly, try and avoid contact with other cars. The chance of a negative outcome is too great.
Capt. Delinquent Racing
RUST-TITE XR4Ti - '21 ARSE-FREEZE-APALOOZA I Got Screwed
The One & Only Taurus V8 SHO #31(now moved on to another OG Delinquent)
'17 Vodden the Hell - (No) Hope for the Future Award, '08 AMP Survivor, '08 ARSE-FREEZE-APALOOZA Mega-Cheater