Why Aren't You Racing?

[Michael Beard]

It's not worth picking apart point by point, but I could do the same trip for nearly half. I've even gone to San Antonio (2,600 mile round trip), for less than $1,000.

@Mike -- Travel costs are a moot argument anyway, as you didn't go to Pittsburgh, Thompson, Norwalk, or Columbus. If you can't go, you can't go.

It does seem that travel costs are the biggest factor, and once again it comes back to things that aren't even race cars... look at some photos of the pits 10, 15, or 20 years ago and compare them with today, and you'll find your answer. It not only costs a lot more to get the bigger rig in the first place, but it costs twice as much to feed it. Anyone worried about the cost of racing but getting less than 10mpg has the answer right in front of them. Even when I had borrowed a truck and enclosed trailer to make the San Antonio trip one year, that combo got 13mpg.

Double races do cost more on a given weekend, but your cost per race is significantly lower than a single event that is dragged out over the course of 3-4 days. Are you going to race, or just to get away from it all and hang out, and maybe make a few passes?

JohnD brings up the most important point. Regardless of the why nots, what are the why FORS? Personally, I select events based on where I can get the most racing done for a fair price. Even when I make a long trip, I'm looking at how I can get the most out of it, like running 4 races in 1 weekend at South Georgia. When I go to the national event in Michigan this summer, it's a Fri-Sat race. I'll hit a $2K BottomBulb Series race in Kentucky on Sunday on the way home. I try to run points in multiple series. Last year, I ran a bracket race in South Carolina on Saturday night, came home and got 2 hrs sleep, then drove 6 hrs to MIR to get 1 time shot for the 2nd day of a Pro-Am. I've gone to races with double-digits in my checking account (more than once, I'm afraid). I'll sleep in the truck, in a tent, on the floor of a buddy's trailer, or on a friend's couch. The bottom line is that racing is my life, and I will do what it takes. I may not be keeping up with the Jones's off the track or in the pits, but I make up for it on the race track.

$.02,