Why Aren't You Racing?

[Jeff Teuton]

I have been watching the car counts go down. Something though, look at Denver 11 Stock and SS, and 128 Super Classes. They don't travel any cheaper than us. And I know in the Midwest and Northeast is more populated by S/SS and those seem to have more S/SS. Just a thought.

[71mavlouisville]

Do any of you guys/gals have young children in competition extracurricular activities? If you think racing is expensive try competition dance with 2 girls. Entry fees for solo's are around $85 and the only payout is if you win first overall, usually 30-40 dancers, and that money goes back to the studio. Then there are entry fees for duo's, trio's, and all the group dances. Your child could be dancing in 12-13 separate dances. Add the cost of costumes for each dance, private lessons, tuition and the nationals usually require travel also for the whole family. At least at a points meet you have a chance of winning something. My shop neighbor competes in the Trans-Am series with a $100,000 + car, he went to Wisconsin a couple of weekends ago, placed 4th and won $0.00, they do comp the fuel though! lol, drag racing is not so bad. Ashton 4373

[AC]

Originally Posted by 71mavlouisville

Do any of you guys/gals have young children in competition extracurricular activities? If you think racing is expensive try competition dance with 2 girls. Entry fees for solo's are around $85 and the only payout is if you win first overall, usually 30-40 dancers, and that money goes back to the studio. Then there are entry fees for duo's, trio's, and all the group dances. Your child could be dancing in 12-13 separate dances. Add the cost of costumes for each dance, private lessons, tuition and the nationals usually require travel also for the whole family. At least at a points meet you have a chance of winning something. My shop neighbor competes in the Trans-Am series with a $100,000 + car, he went to Wisconsin a couple of weekends ago, placed 4th and won $0.00, they do comp the fuel though! lol, drag racing is not so bad. Ashton 4373

scca trans am pays out to the racers $3000, 2000, 1000, 500, 250 plus contigency money. Plus for $100k look at the seat time he gets, compared to $100k for a stang stocker. Plus they get some tv coverage as well.

I love drag racing, always will, but for the money $100k for a stocker think of what you could get for that. And even if you build a $20k or $30k stocker its alot. Just an example, to buy a legends car $10k, porsche spec 944 $6500, American iron mustang $14000, karting $3000 to $8000.

I always wonder how some do it, traveling, taking off from work, the expenses. When i ran my stocker i figured $1k a weekend, hotels, entry, gas, tolls, gas for the car, food etc.. It sucks because the sport is great but nhra is adding more classes, less track time, less money to win more to pay.

hopefully something will change!

[X-TECH MAN]

Originally Posted by AC

scca trans am pays out to the racers $3000, 2000, 1000, 500, 250 plus contigency money. Plus for $100k look at the seat time he gets, compared to $100k for a stang stocker. Plus they get some tv coverage as well.

I love drag racing, always will, but for the money $100k for a stocker think of what you could get for that. And even if you build a $20k or $30k stocker its alot. Just an example, to buy a legends car $10k, porsche spec 944 $6500, American iron mustang $14000, karting $3000 to $8000.

I always wonder how some do it, traveling, taking off from work, the expenses. When i ran my stocker i figured $1k a weekend, hotels, entry, gas, tolls, gas for the car, food etc.. It sucks because the sport is great but nhra is adding more classes, less track time, less money to win more to pay.

hopefully something will change!

NOTHING will ever change (it will only get worse) unless ALL of the racers stick together and demand it. You know that will happen.......LOL.

[Aubrey N Bruneau]

I've been reading many of the posts in this thread, and most seem to be on the same theme.... cost of entry vs payout, cost of travel, ect.
I have no dillusions of ever having to worry about the payout. For me, I find it totally rewarding to make my car go as fast as it can, knowing it's within the rules.
So why am I not racing ?
well....
I was supposed to make the IHRA Rocky Mountain Nationals in Edmonton last weekend.
Ordered parts from Comp Cams, well in advance. My local post office failed to notify me of their arrival for 5 days. Now it was close.
Opened the sealed package of spring locators, and after drilling the centers out approx .060" larger, so they would actually fit, I proceded to install them ( engine was still on the stand ). this is when I found out that one of the reatiners in the package, was the wrong part number. I wasn't going to take a chance and race with last year's combination, because it was one of THOSE tool steel retainers that took out my engine. So, just for break-in purposes, I assembled everything, and got the car all together... just in time to not go to the race.

just putting it out there...
there ARE other reasons for not making it to the races

[SS Engine Guy]

Ok, I'll have 6 div. and probably 4 natl. by years end. About same as last year. That is down from 10+ div. and 10+ natl from previous years. About 75% of my customers are down by this much for many reasons stated in previous posts. My reason has nothing to do with the economy it has to do with potential for enjoyment.

1) The more money I win the more I enjoy it. That is when I am fortunate enough to get to the finals.
2) The more heads up races I and my customers win, the more I enjoy it.
3) The more contacts that I make the more money I make and I enjoy that.
4) The less BS I have to contend with from the sactioning bodies the more I enjoy it.
5) The closer the factoring is, the better the competition is in class and heads up, the more
I enjoy it.
6) The more the rules are adhered to the better my stuff looks going thru tech which brings
me and my customers much satisfaction. I enjoy that.
7) The less dumba$$ DOT officers (not all, just most) I have to deal with the more I enjoy it.
8) The higher on the ladder that my customers qualify the more I and they enjoy it. (BS
bogus factoring tends to hender this).
9) Rule change of the week instead of a year off tends to lower the level of esteem that I
have held for certain people over the years and therefore lowers my enjoyment level.

Lately my "potential for enjoyment" has been drastically decreased by greedy people in positions that they are not fit to hold, much less qualified to hold. As of lately I choose to test more and race less as I think that these situations will eventually be rectified. I am optomistic. Glass half full vs. half empty.

[Billy Nees]

I can agree with about all of the above!

[John DiBartolomeo]

Originally Posted by X-TECH MAN

Better round money? Not everyone can win or runner up at the events and better round money would go a long way to help pay the towing gas bills, etc. to make the weekend a little less expensive.

That's all well and good. But racers have to start looking at the round money rather than just what's on top. As an example, we've had dozens of high dollar bracket races that pay big money on top, but you have to go four and five rounds to even get your entry money back.

[AC]

I think john is right about the round money, anything and everything helps. When i raced i never raced to make money, i would have loved to win a race (best i went was three rounds) but racing and the people were what brought me out.

The other problem with track time is the curfew some tracks have or the starting time. I think if they could cut it down to two days more people would run the events.

[X-TECH MAN]

Originally Posted by Aubrey N Bruneau

I've been reading many of the posts in this thread, and most seem to be on the same theme.... cost of entry vs payout, cost of travel, ect.
I have no dillusions of ever having to worry about the payout. For me, I find it totally rewarding to make my car go as fast as it can, knowing it's within the rules.
So why am I not racing ?
well....
I was supposed to make the IHRA Rocky Mountain Nationals in Edmonton last weekend.
Ordered parts from Comp Cams, well in advance. My local post office failed to notify me of their arrival for 5 days. Now it was close.
Opened the sealed package of spring locators, and after drilling the centers out approx .060" larger, so they would actually fit, I proceded to install them ( engine was still on the stand ). this is when I found out that one of the reatiners in the package, was the wrong part number. I wasn't going to take a chance and race with last year's combination, because it was one of THOSE tool steel retainers that took out my engine. So, just for break-in purposes, I assembled everything, and got the car all together... just in time to not go to the race.

just putting it out there...
there ARE other reasons for not making it to the races

Love your car......It takes me back to a better time. I applaude you for running an "09".