The USAC National Midgets completed their 3rd event for 2008 on Saturday evening in Kenly , NC.

This is a traveling series of 30 events in 9 states from California to North Carolina. Thousands of miles will be logged requiring a substancial budget to sustain travel costs alone.

The purse payout for Kenly last evening ( and the previous event at Anderson a week ago ) was as follows :

First - $ 2,500. ... to Kody Swanson
2nd- 1,200. ( Dakota Armstrong )
3rd- 700. (Cole Whitt )
4th- 600. ( Darren Hagen )
5th- 500. ( Tracy Hines )

6th- 425. ( Bobby East ) 7th- 400. ( Brad Sweet ) 8th- 375. ( Kevin Swindell ) 9th- 350. ( Brad Loyet ) 10th- 330. ( Dave Darland )

11th- 300. ( Mike Murgoitio ) 12th- 290. ( Brad Kuhn ) 13th- 280. ( Josh Wise ) 14th- 270. ( Chase Barber ) 15th- 260. ( Jerry Coons , Jr. )
16th- 250. ( Chad Boat ) 17th- 240. ( Levi Jones ) 18th- 230. ( Chris Windom )

19th thru 26th ... all received $ 225.00
( Brent Beauchamp , Stephanie Mockler , Ricky Ehrgott , Zach Schiff , Brady Bacon , Caitlin Shaw , Josh Butler , and Mario Marietta )

Payout versus expenses to participants is an embarrassment to all parties involved. And this clearly shows that the sport survives only by the will of the team owners.

Paul Gray :Steer www.paulgray28.com

I'd be curious to know if USAC tried to book a Friday night or Sunday afternoon anywhere to give these guys a second show to help defray some of the expense.

There were tracks available. But, if none were interested, this show should have been scrapped.

ISMA Supermods used to come to NC in the Spring and Fall. But, only if they could get a two race weekend. When one track fell out and they couldn't find another (and they tried) that ended the Super tours in NC.

Welcome to the world of auto racing...

You will never make anything in racing.. the cost of buying and run car's always out way's the payout's..(in all form's of racing) for car ower's like me.. unless you have a sponsor who will pay for every thing? (Very Very hard to fine) you will alway's lose money.. we do it for the love of it... for most of us car owener's (me anyway) if I sell all I have today, I would not even come close to getting what I have paid in.. it's a hard fact... and I have very good stuff.. Just think, If you drive doe's not make the B-Main for some reson.. the pay out is 0" so all you paid out that night, you get nothing in return.....

It has been close to 40 years since it was possible for a car owner to show even a minimal profit at any level of racing. And many share in the blame. Promoters with a back gate mentality that essentially makes the competitors pay for their own event are part of the problem. Car costs that include $50,000+ midget engines, cockpit adjustables, and new tires every night are part of the problem. Sanctioning bodies that don't do nearly enough to control costs also share in the blame. But there is one part of the equation that makes me stop and say "What the hell!" And that is the car owners themselves. Not all owners as many are competing on a very tight budget. But many others are spending lots of $ that doesn't need to be spent. When a car owner talks to me about high engine costs, tire bills, pit fees, etc. he has both my ear and my sympathy. However, when that same owner pulls his $75,000 midget into the pits with a tractor and stacker trailer worth in the mid six figures I take what he says with a grain of salt. Engines, tires, pit fees, etc. are expenses to race. Big tractors and shiny new stacker trailers are costs to satisfy egos and not look inferior to the team parked next to you. And please don't tell me about impressing sponsors. If you have to spend a half mil to impress a sponsor giving you maybe $50 thou than you don't need that sponsor. This is not meant as a slam to those owners who struggle to compete and do so on limited budgets. It is just meant to clarify the difference between costs to compete and other costs.

we used to run ace speedway in burlington n. c on friday night then kenly on saturday to try and get a two day show in .that way you try not to take such a bad hit.

I've said it before, and nothing that happens will change my mind....racers(owners and drivers) will race for bottle caps. The only things that have changed in the past fifteen years are the costs! Purses haven't improved enough to offset the cost of $40K motors, $250K toters/trailers, and $4.00/gal diesel. I dare say that there is not a track or sanctioning body in the country that has doubled its purse from 15 years ago.

But then, fans won't pay double what they were paying to watch races 15 years ago, either.

Do most local racers need huge trucks/trailers and $40K motors to compete - especially the once a week racer?

I know that there is no solution; as long as the tax code allows owners, sponsors, and others to be creative when dealing with "business" expenses, there will not be a rush to economic feasiblity...

That's what made me a fan of Don Moore....after seeing his "tow rig" last October at Granite City. Good thing they were racing midgets, & not trailers....cause they had 'em covered in that dept! :thumb

Let play a game like we were kids, lets pretend.

There were 3 races this past weekend in NC. The tire bill for the two additional nights was $1400, fuel cost $210, pit pass for each team member for two additional nights $250 , 2 extra nights in a motel and food for 6 $650. Bent one wheel and 2 more races on brake pads, engine , ect.. = misc. costs $800. TOTAL $3310.00. We ran 9th and 11th. Our total purse for the two extra nights $640. So we only lost a grand total of $2670 and 2 days away from our family, 4 vacation days, and a fishing trip!

The phrase "beating a dead horse" is often used on this board. If you woke up this am and just realized that owning a racecar cost money then read no farther.......To everyone else....... Owning a racecar is not for everyone, not everyone can have a boat, take big vacations, have a pool in their yard, have store bought enhanced body parts, drive a sports car, ect... The world is full of haves and haves not, if you have the money to buy toys (racecars) great, enjoy them, if you need them money you spend on a racecar to pat your bills, buy little Sally some shoes, help your family enjoy life, then maybe the water is a little deep in racing.

I see guys pull into the track with a below average race team They have a $50,000 truck, pulling a $10,000 trailer, with a $40,000 racecar, with $15,000 worth of 4 wheelers, spare parts ect.. They spent $1000 min. on tires and fuel and pit-pass-admission. I live in a $100,000 home,raised my family well, have plenty of $$ to do as I please, and I can not come close to feilding their race team.

OWNING A RACE TEAM IS A LUXORY!!!!

This will be my second year running the Wolverine Outlaw Midget Series LLC. The comments by Paul Gray regarding pay out versus cost are right on the money. The problem is everyone is getting squeezed right now. As a sanctioning body we want to offer the top purse that we can but the tracks are hurting right now. It's tough enough getting races, let alone a decent purse. Sponsors are the key and with the economy hurting it's tough to make ends meet. We have a great schedule at some great tracks this year but the only way to get better purses is to put on great shows with a good car count.We need to create a demand for our services. This year we have raised our purse but it's far from what it should be. We limit our schedule to ten races to make it affordable and yet still give our drivers the opportunity to run for a season championship. Most can not afford to run a twenty race schedule. An engine rebuild can last two or more seasons in our series.We have some very good equipment but a rebuild every year is not in most budgets. If not for the car owners(drivers) and their love for racing none of this would make economic sense. Hopefully some day the pendulum will swing the other way. We all expect to lose but we would like to keep those losses to a minimum. With the current trend there will be fewer owner/drivers able to compete without huge sponsors paying their way and that will be to bad. I am concerned, as I do not want racing just to be for the elite few.