RALEIGH — The U.S. Army Special Operations Command is turning to North Carolina’s motorsports industry to help build vehicles that are lighter, faster and, most importantly, safer.

The deal announced Saturday at Daytona International Speedway officially recognizes work between the two groups that’s gone on for several years, officials said. Among those announcing the deal at the speedway were Gov. Bev Perdue and Lt. Gen. John F. Mulholland, commanding general of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, based at Fort Bragg.

Perdue calls the deal historic, saying “it improves safety and performance of military vehicles for our troops and creates jobs and investment opportunities” in North Carolina. Mulholland said he sees direct applications of motorsports’ technologies for military problems.

“Army special operators are expected to thrive and succeed in the most challenging environments against dynamic threats,” Mulholland said. “Likewise, the people who work at this level of the motorsports industry are constantly seeking to improve their performance — to dominate the competition — under the most extreme conditions.”

Racing involves making cars lighter, faster, more durable or safer, said Derek Chen, director of motorsports development for the state Commerce Department.

“A lot of the technologies that put us at the forefront in racing, we can apply much of that technology in a form that a lot of our war fighters are using,” Chen said.

For example, military vehicles have been weighed down over the years with more equipment and more armor to protect them from roadside bombs, said Lance DeSpain, executive director of the N.C. Military Foundation, which helped broker the deal.

Motorsports companies can build lighter, stronger seats and better suspension systems, he said. They not only have the knowledge the Army needs about vehicles, but can also work quickly, he said.

“The way it works today, there’s no modeling or simulations for these vehicles,” DeSpain said. “It’s as old-fashioned as you can imagine. I have a problem, it takes three to four years to get a solution. Then you take it to the desert, say it still doesn’t work. So it’s a six-year scenario. ... That model doesn’t work for the Special Forces at all. It’s just way too slow.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has budgeted $11 billion for spending on new vehicles, maintenance and research and development, Chen said.

The deal means a motorsports company in Concord, for example, would have the same or better inside information than giant military manufacturers like Lockheed or General Dynamics. That gives them the inside track when it comes time to bid on military contracts, DeSpain said.

The memorandum of agreement among Special Operations, the Commerce Department, the military foundation and the N.C. Motorsports Advisory Council calls for the Special Forces officials to meet at least quarterly with motorsports companies. Meetings have been ongoing for about two years as the Special Forces officials investigated whether motorsports companies could help solve their vehicle problems, Chen said.

“It is really an extraordinary thing for the Special Forces to share their problems with someone,” DeSpain said. “That is very difficult access to get. Signing the MOA means they have officially agreed to share their problems, their requirements, the things they’re seeing.”