[RookieMove]

Hey guys, I am looking for more into about sprint car racing as far as getting into it as a more local/grassroots level. A little info about me, I’m 35 and have never done any car racing be it oval or road racing. I have on the other hand, for the last 10 years, been road racing sportbikes at a club level whenever budget/time allows.

As far as start up cost I have a pretty good idea on cost from this forum classifieds and other sources. What I am wondering about is the weekend running cost, especially since I am strongly leaning to more asphalt operation instead of dirt. I’m not familiar or comfortable with dirt driving technique that needs to be perfected vs. asphalt. Asphalt looks like I can pretty much keep my general idea of it is to drive the car properly. If that makes any sense. Saying that I’m not totally against dirt since I haven’t tried it, who knows I might enjoy it. What is a good ballpark figure for fuel, maintenance, tire, entry fee and other cost associated with racing these cars? I’ve seen some numbers in the $400 per night ballpark but this was on dirt, so I’m not sure how much things change due to asphalt tire costs. Also lets keep the travel cost out of it, I’m well aware of that cost. Being in the south east it looks like I’m going to need to do a fair amount of traveling for the asphalt races.

Also, while I've got ya'll attention...how do you guys feel about buying a used rolling chassis and then buying a used motor? Should I pretty much figure that whatever I get is going to need a complete rebuild or is most used stuff can be found in pretty decent condition?

TIA.

[Mattmac05]

I would say asphalt racing has a larger weekly cost just because of the amount of tires you will go through. I would say the chance of wrecking a dirt car and completely trashing 75-80% of your equipment is more likely than on asphalt, so you have to weigh that based on your budget. Also asphalt sprint car racing would require more travel time and less options on tracks if you are based near Indy. You can race almost 3 times a weekend and have 2-3 different options on Saturday all within 2 hours from Indy, if you go the dirt route. Whether you race dirt or pavement you will spend close to $60-75 every 1-2 weeks for oil and oil filter changes. Atleast $80 for fuel, another $80 for fuel for your truck. Then various costs for maintenance (bearings, seals, lubricants, towels, tearoffs). I know I am forgetting things because it seems like I spend a lot more than that lol. If any sprint car racing is out of your range, micro-sprints(dirt, but they have a senior class if you are 35 and usually you can compete for less in that class and your car would also be legal for non wing so you could run 2 classes with zero changes), legend cars is also a good option. Hope this helps

[Jonr]

You present a decent question because the normal answer does not really apply to your case. I would normally state that the best way to start running a sprint car is to go pit for someone at the local track for a year. This will allow you to understand what happens behind the scenes before you invest any money into the venture. It will allow you to see the money and time commitments in takes. It also allows you to learn how to work and set up the cars. Finally, it will allow you to build up friendships that you can rely on for your first season as a driver when you do make the jump up.

I do not know if I would recommend that anyone start up as a rookie in a class that required a lot of traveling. Finally, I would echo the comments about micro sprints. When you find them on a track that was built for them, they put on a great show.

[Mattmac05]

So I had calculated how much we spend each week a few weeks ago, I came to around the 700-800 figure, but not all of that money is upfront, for example if you spend $2000 on a motor rebuild at the end of the year and you race 20 test then it is $100 a week. I also added in truck maintenance, rearend rebuilds, steering gear rebuilds, and trailer maintenance in that.

[RookieMove]

I would usually spent around $700 a weekend for my racing so those numbers are not anything I'm not familiar with. I would usually run "takeoffs" (used race tires) to reduce my cost by a good bit.

I'm definitely not wanting to jump into a sprint car right off the bat, going to see what my local track offers and go from there. Sprint car is the end game though.

Anybody willing to guess what tire life on a asphalt sprint car is?

[xoxide]

Depending on where you're at in the southeast, check out the Southern States Midget Series. They aren't sprintcars, but a total blast to drive, and an extremely cost effective form of racing (and itd get you dirt experience without the risk/cost of a sprint car) until you're ready to move up. Think it cost me about $150-200 to go racing in a weekend.

www.ssmidgets.com

[Mattmac05]

As far as tire life I know pavement midget guys that will go through at least 3 if it is a weekly show, but I wouldn't be surprised if they went through at least 6 at a big show. sprint cars is probably about the same on tire life or worse. You could easily spend 500 on just tires. Dirt is a different story, usac guys can go through 1 or 2 a night local guys will run 3-4 races on a rr and 5-8 on a lr

[nathans1012]

Originally Posted by RookieMove I would usually spent around $700 a weekend for my racing so those numbers are not anything I'm not familiar with. I would usually run "takeoffs" (used race tires) to reduce my cost by a good bit. I'm definitely not wanting to jump into a sprint car right off the bat, going to see what my local track offers and go from there. Sprint car is the end game though. Anybody willing to guess what tire life on a asphalt sprint car is?

What area of the country do you live in? That would help folks give you a good idea on what tracks to check out when they race sprints.

[RookieMove]

I'm near Atlanta, GA.

xoxide, thanks for the link. Didn't know there was a active midget series in GA.

[Wizard 05]

Depending on how well or how hard you run..You can easily eat up 2 RR asphalt tires per night.