whats a competitive SCORA motor cost? how much do they pay to start

I'm pretty sure the only engine rule is it has to be a steel block, so the sky is the limit on cost, seeing as a typical ASCS Steel Block 360 costs 35,000 +. Crate engines aren't the way to go though, historically it does not work. You have to allow some form of ingenuity while still keeping costs low. If you want to run low buck sprint car racing, run 305's, or go run Waynesfield or Paragon. I'd like to see that Ecotec midget take off in this area, that could be a fun deal. But the only problem is that it is still a single engine provider.

The best "low budget" club that I have ever seen is the Miswest Sprint Association. They are not crate motors, but are inspected by an official and then sealed. Anyone can build one, they are fairly cheap, and you can put 50 nights on one. They run two nights every week and average somewhere between 30 and 40 cars every single night. Check them out. www.msasprints.com

we ran 360s and 410s in CA and the cost was about the same. you would be surprised how much you need to spend on a competitive 360 motor. However, there is a fast growing group in CA that runs steel block 358s with starters on them and this is a fast growing group. from the stands there's not too much difference but the cost on these keeps going up. a sprint car is a sprint car once you get past the motore costs and believe me ther's not much difference if you want to run up front.

If you are looking to put more cars on the track, and more butts in the stands, I would suggests taking a page out of the 1990 IMCA Modified Rule book. This is a class that has grown wildly over the years. They are no threat to Late model car counts (a sprint car version would be no threat to your full up sprints), and there is one in every garage in Iowa. The most effective rule: Engline claim. Run anything you want, but if asked, you sell it right then and there for $XXX, or lose the win, monies, and points for the night with a two race suspension. It keeps the rich guys at bay, car counts high, stands full. One other note about people in the stands. Folks like to watch someone they know race. A relative, or co-worker. Somebody local. Around here, the stands are packed full of people there to watch their buddy run a four cylinder POS. They come to see Joe run, and are exposed to dirt track racing for the first time. Many get hooked. You may not be a fan of junk on wheels, but promoters around here are. Full stands, full pits, full pockets. Like 'em or not, they are the best thing to happen to racing in these parts in decades. Perhaps if more local guys could afford a low-budget sprint car, it would work for us as well.

There's my $.02. I've been preaching it to deaf ears for years, so bash away.

Am I the only one,who remembers the Sprint car class, that may have ran Bloomington a few times, in the early 90's? Best I can remember, the engine was a carbureted, basically stock, 350cu in, no FI, stock ign, just put a stock motor, more or less, with a carb on it, in a Sprint car chassis, and Bingo, you got a lo-buck Sprint car class. Did well, till they tried racing them, seems they didn't turn real well, plenty of straight away speed, but horribly under powered in the turns, kept the tow truck operator busy, hauling them off the track. Might have been a better choice to have allowed FI, or something other than a Rochester 4bbl carb. Oh well, nothing is easy, and all hobbies are/get expensive. Several times, at Dayton's auction, I saw several, "old" Sprint car chassis, loaded/stacked on open trailers,and doubled on pickups, bought for less that the old tires were worth, so one night I asked, and they said they put 4 cylinder "crate", junk yard motors in them, and rented them out to wannbe racers. What can I say, they were smilin when they left Indy, headed SW! Bob

Once again I am going to tell all of you that IF you put a 1 3/4" header on an engine it will not make big power. I tried to get SCORA to impose this rule but Sam wouldn't do it. Its the 1 thing that will make everyone equal.

Right now adjustable shocks are becoming the most exspensive must have items on the cars and having someone who knows how to set them up. A lot of the top teams have shock dynos in their trailers now.

The only way to control costs is NOT to pay "BIG MONEY" pay good show up money and they will come. Pay good through out the field and they will race. Bloomington is a perfect example of that. If Bloomington paid everybody $100 to show they would probably get 60 cars every night like Paragon.

The "Burg" is too fast and dangerous now for your regular weekend warriors. As a matter of fact the weekend warriors are starting to die out.

Really, the adjustable shocks aren't expensive when you think about it. About $450 for on adjustable shock for each corner right? Then you get one spare. To equal that with non-adjustable shocks you have to have 4-5 different shocks for each corner, instead of just one that can be adjusted. Now, I don't have a problem with banning cockpit adjustable shocks though.

Im all for competitive cost afective racing, the reason half the rules made dont work is that the sanctioning bodies dont police them, new cost afective series made, rules dont get policed and the cost afective part gos out the window

Paragon don't pay BIG money and they still get 40 50 cars and the racing is good and everyone has a lot of fun. Isn't that what its all about???