Making a profit in drag racing ????

[X-TECH MAN]

Great post Michael.

[Dwight Southerland]

Great post, Michael.

I raced Stock and SS from 1974-1990 and made money 13 years. 3 years were taken out to build cars. I never got rich, but consistency, watching expenses, building my own stuff, being $$ shrewd and being willing to race where money could be made helped make positive cash flow. It also helped to have a car that could do double duty in a .90 category.

A Pure Stock IHRA car might be a place to look. Low class Stocker could also be made to work. Look at Jody Lang and Tommy Mattingly. The goal would have to be to cover expenses, not to make a living. Nothing wrong with your fun paying for itself.

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by Jimi B

+1 For making money OFF of drag racing. That has always been the idea for me. Thats why I got in the engine business, and am getting a lot more involved with efi tuning. Likewise, part of my interest in class racing is a resume builder.

Other than that, I have always said you dont make money racing, you make money in sales/marketing/advertising. Your number 1 job is to get your sponsors name out there. Luckily, one of the best ways to do that is to win races!


However I would say the best chance to make money in drag racing is running high dollar bracket races. Of course this takes the best parts, and a bad *** driver, but I have a handful of friends that are right on the verge of bein in the black, or in it. One of which is a good friend of mine was a top dragster racer that I helped work on Jeff Wilsons funny car with. He grew up in drag racing but has only been driving for maybe 4 years. But this dude no matter what he does he is just a winner. Doesnt matter if its poker, golf, racing rc cars... He even won the world champion ship for hopping low riders with hydraulics.. Oh yeah and he is a rapper and even has a record ha. Anyway in 08 he decided he was gonna jump up to alcohol funny car... Sold his top dragster blower car, started putting the funny car together, and in the meant time bracket raced a small block dragster.. Well NHRA added about $10k in safety to the alcy cars, so he switched gears and decided he is going to chase all the high dollar bracket races.. Sounded crazy to me at the time.. Its so hard to be the best out there in bracket racing.. The best of the best can be put out by just a somebody. Well.. Maybe he wasnt crazy, since both of his dragsters he bought in the last year have paid for themselves and then some...

Here is a link to a video that is his audition to Who Wants To Be A Race Car Driver

Is this for real?

[Jimi B]

Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone

Is this for real?

don't want to hijack the thread further, but which part?

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by Jimi B

don't want to hijack the thread further, but which part?

I was commenting on the video. It almost seemed like a SNL skit...

[K Stubbs]

Its not possible, you would have to be way better than a "descent" driver to ever break even at best. Thats a fact.

[Jimi B]

Thats why I think IF anybody can make money IN and not OFF of dragracing it will be a bracket racer. Maybe a lower budget stocker who also bracket races.

Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone

I was commenting on the video. It almost seemed like a SNL skit...

Man Mr Yacavone, you are the only person on facebook twitter, and about 10 racing forums that has had anything negative to say thus far. And that even includes yellobullet.com.. Where the weak are killed an eaten!
The video is actually quite good from a youtube video editing perspective, and it was suppose to be somewhat of a parody... Other than that.. All serious. Cant be afraid to be different and do something to get peoples attention if you have big aspirations... Like Drooze said, no publicity is bad publicity.... Remember one way of making money in racing is sponsor dollars... Even if you are infamous.. You get exposure. And if nothing else, the dude has more passion about the sport then anybody else I know.. Possibly even myself.