Sportsman Racing, Making A Living!!!

[Kris Kristofferson]

It would be a nomad/hippy lifestyle, which some people would enjoy! You would have to be a good mechanic and capable of fixing stuff at the side of road.. the pressure would be there, if you don't win then no grocery money...
if you would be able to fish and hunt you could supplement this-LOL
I guess you could pickup hitchhikers like in 2 lane blacktop, maybe even a decent looking lady to keep you company but "A**, grass or gas" nobody rides free"
Cool idea for a TV show documentary,,kind of like the people who live in Slab city

[cmallory96]

I've thought about this a lot myself, too. Luckily, I have no attachments (i.e. significant other, or kids), I work hellacious hours at my job, so the overtime helps during the winter season when there's no racing. People tell me, "You should go back to school and make something of yourself, and do something with your life." Sorry, but I'm just not about the college life, nor the college type. I'd get burned out super easily on it because of my short attention span when it comes to that kind of stuff lol. "Education is important, but race cars are more important-er." I just prefer to race cars. I think working as a mechanic for the last 2 1/2 years as well, would benefit me in the long run because I'd be able to handle a break down myself, when bad luck decides to strike.

As for living as a nomad... Honestly, with all of the cool gadgets and gizmos these days the camping industry comes out with every year, hell, I wouldn't mind sleeping in a sleeping bag/cot at every race. Can't beat a good topper on a truck if the weather decides to be inclement!

My main concern though, is keeping my car consistent, and being consistent as a driver.

[LemonWedge]

I'll answer the op question with a question.... Why would you want to? Racing is fun. The reason it is fun is that it is stress free. Adding the stress of needing to win to eat..... then it becomes a job. no thanks.

And by the way, I don't think there's a snowballs chance in hell you could MAKE money bracket racing.

[nickh]

Have always been a huge Fletcher and Rampy fan. However, without what little help they do get they would not be able to make it.

I cringe everytime I see either one of them go out in 1st round, if they don't win they don't eat. Both have been doing it for years and I commend them, but they really really have to be frugal.

Always had a dream of winning the lottery and going on the road, but had to wake up to realization of how long could that last?

My heart goes out to those that do it for a living and are successful doing it. And if you notice those that do it for a living run multiple cars, that would be the only way you could do it. Double or triple your chances of going into money rounds..JMO

[Mike Rietow]

Originally Posted by 1320racer

no

Damn Bro lol! I say yes! If you're a bad Mother Trucker!

[X-TECH MAN]

Not a chance in H*LL ! You can count the Rampys or Fletchers on your left hand. They have someone else paying the bills. Fletcher has a trailer business plus his sponsors. Listen to most of these guys. A cpl. of them are living in LA LA land that say give it a go but live your own life ! Good luck !

[Bucky]

Well, you can try it on a smaller scale. Frankly, there were several years when I owned my own business and needed to reinvest the profits to grow it. That left me very little for racing. If I was going to race, it had to mostly pay for itself. It did for the most part. I had a couple of great seasons. I had a lot of motivation to do well. But I had no major breakage. I was constantly on top of maintenance, as letting something go could mean the end of my season. There was nothing new that wasn't consumable. It was very easy to loose your sense of fun with it with that kind of pressure to do well.
I had to be selective about the type of race I would compete at. When you are depending on it, you just can't afford an expensive weekend that ends up a bust. So the big buck weekends were out for me. Statistically I could average out in the 4th or 5th round. Not bad! But if you weren't making money by then, the race simply didn't make sense. I one a couple races per season. So the big gambles just didn't make sense to me. There had to be money early.

So, take this experience, and add the pressure of having to profit...not just break even....and it can be really not fun. What happens if you get sick? What if you have a rash of breakage? It starts to unravel. Tow rig pukes? Can't make it to a race and make money then.

If you can get good sponsorship, the equation can make a little more sense. Just my experience.

[6130]

When I was doing motorcycle road racing, there were a few "bounty hunters" that made a living at sportsman racing.

The cash flow in motorcycle road racing is kind of strange- there is generally no prize money in sportsman motorcycle road racing, but the contingency payments are significant. For example, $2,000 a win from the motorcycle manufacturer, plus $350 from the tire manufacturer, and so on.

A typical bounty hunter would have a motorhome and trailer that he bought with his own money, to carry two motorcycles that were provided by sponsors. The two motorcycles would each be prepared to Supersport specifications, which costs a few thousand dollars each, less sponsor support in that area. Supersport motorcycles are allowed to race in Superbike classes, and motorcycles are also allowed to race "up" a displacement class, so each motorcycle would be eligible to race in up to four classes.

For example, if the bounty hunter was provided a 650 and a 750 by his sponsoring motorcycle dealer, he could use the 650 to race 650 Supersport, 650 Superbike, 600 Supersport, and 600 Superbike, and he could use the 750 to race 750 Supersport, 750 Superbike, 1000 Supersport, and 1000 Superbike...or up to $16,000 a weekend, from the manufacturer, $2,800 from the tire manufacturer, and so on.

Tires are a major component of the expense of motorcycle road racing- a typical pair of race tires costs about $600 or so, with a discount to about $300 a pair for mid-pack experts like me, and free to the truly fast guys. And you get through a pair of tires in as little as a few laps. Guys like me use my shagged tires from last race for practice, then buy a new pair at the trackside tire vendor for race day, and try to manage our tire consumption to get through two 4-lap qualifiers and two 7-lap races. For that reason, the bounty hunters typically sit out the practice sessions and the 4-lap qualifiers, content to start from the back of the grid on a brand-new pair of tires.

[Wrenchead]

Several years ago I toyed with the idea of making a living from betting on horses. It is doable but requires a lot of background work. Today, it’s even easier (more convenient) with internet betting (TVG). However, when I took into consideration the cost of health insurance and funding an IRA it didn’t look so lucrative.
I’m sure maintenance and travel costs going to and from drag strips would consume any winnings you would get. Race cars are expensive and they don’t get any cheaper. What ever you decide to do have a backup plan and at least a year of living expenses in the bank to take the pressure off.

[cicero819]

Dis this guy even tried racing yet? never heard from him again.lol