Box Car Racer was conceived by Blink-182 guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge and formed during a break from touring . A European tour for Blink-182 in winter 2001 was delayed in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks , and rescheduled dates in early 2002 were also canceled due to DeLonge 's back problems . The roots for Box Car Racer began with DeLonge playing acoustic guitar during recording sessions for Blink-182 's 2001 album '' Take Off Your Pants and Jacket '' and grew from there . Feeling " bummed out " in the studio during the recording of '' Take Off Your Pants and Jacket '' , DeLonge felt an " itch to do something where he did n't feel locked in to what Blink was . " In a 2012 interview , DeLonge likened the creative state of Blink-182 to the art of painting , in which one has several different colors but , in the case of Blink-182 's previous efforts , only employs one
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Box Car Racer