What does it take..

Zane · February 26, 2001

Ok, so in the ultimate quest for what i want to do with my life(other than this site) i'm digging through ideas.

I know someone mentioned on this site that they raced on the weekends. I want to know what kind of licenses you have to get and or training to become a race car driver. Also what would be the best "path of action" to fulfill this job?

I really love automobiles. I cannot stand even a few days without driving a sports car. I go through what i call "sport car withdrawl" if i can't drive one every other day or so. Everytime i see a race i think about how fun it would be to drive in one of those cars. Sports cars and music are basicly my life outside this site( and i love running this site).

So anyone have the inside scoop?

February 26, 2001

This could take hours...

1. Get a subscription to a stock car magazine and try to figure out what a basic Bomber-type car with all necessary spare parts will run you. Double that figure.

2. Start hanging out at the local circle track. Watch races, paying close attention to the lowest class, usually bombers or mini-stocks. This is what you'll start out in. Get a pit pass and go through the pits, talking to drivers and crews. They are usually eager to brag about their stuff. Find out what guys are using for drivetrain and suspension.

3. Find a donor car. One of your Dad's old wrecks out back or a cheap beater.

4. Build your own motor(s). This saves $ and teaches you to take care of them.

5. Purchase the best safety equipment available. Aluminum seat, quality belts, fire system. BUY A ROLLCAGE AND HAVE AN EXPERT WELD IT. This is not the place to save money.

6. Have enough spares and friends to completely rebuild the car in the pits when you destroy it in turn one of the first lap of your first race.

7. Have enough money left to keep your entire pit crew in beer after the race for three or four hours. These guys are working for nothing, treat them right!

When Iwas really into it about ten years ago, my buddy had built a Mazda RX-3 on a Datsun truck chassis with the 13B rotary engine for about ?.00. It was a really neat little car. It cost the owner/driver ?.00 a night to race for a ?.00 win. I was the crew chief, paid my own way in, bought my own uniform, he paid for the beer and track dogs. This ?.00 was an average on the weekly maintenance of the car. If he tore it up, it hurt bad.

That was pretty much our life for two years. We traveled out of town a little, trying to catch a big money race here and there, but mostly stayed at home, racing every Saturday.

Sunday, we washed the car and inspected for damage. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, we did the maintenace. Thursday and Friday, I built motors for other guys to help keep our car going. At one point we had three cars to prepare with me and three drivers. Saturday morning we did the final touches and loaded up to race. Usually got home about 1:00 a.m.

We were very successful as far as wins (no money can be made at this level), but it d*mn near killed us. Almost cost me a marraige, too. That was the most fun I have ever had in my life!

There were a lot of teams that didn't work as hard as we did and a few that worked just as hard, none worked harder. But Del and I were both very driven, and wouldn't accept second place. After we split ways, I swore that I wouldn't get seriously involved with a car unless I owned it.

Once you get bitten by the racing bug, it will never let go. You will always look for that "little bit extra" and it will elude you most of the time.

It is the most rewarding and frustrating thing that you can do with your life.

Your R/C cars? They'll be sold.

This website? Won't be important anymore.

Your brother? He's your crew chief!

I know this got long and I hope it didn't dissuade you, but I don't want to paint a rosy picture for you. It is hard work. You will enjoy it immensely! Thanks for letting me relive that a little.

Kansas Kid · February 26, 2001

I believe Friz is the member you are refering to. Now I don't drive a race car, but my Dad and uncle used run dirt tracks when they were my age. So I will tell you what I have picked up from them.

First off, it takes alot of time and money. You had better plan on getting off of work (or school) and spending the majority of your free time working on that car. Then your whole weekend will be spent destroying all that hard work you put into the car the week before. As for the money part, don't plan on making any money from this venture. You need to find sponsers (a good people person), and alot of the time this money won't cover your repairs. That will have to come out of your pocket, or maybe if you get lucky enough to win some money that weekend.

It also takes total commitment. Your sponser is paying for you to be out at the track, so you can't skip weekends just because you feel like it. You will probably also want to race atleast twice during the weekend, so plan on doing some traveling to a nearby track. That also means you need to have a truck capable of towing your car and trailer.

Your friends will need to become your pit crew, or beer brigade, whichever you choose to call them. They are working for free, so plan on feeding them and supplying all refresments. Don't plan on finding a girlfriend, as you won't be able to afford any gifts to keep her happy. ;)

As for where to get started, its hard to say. I'm not sure what classes your local tracks run. Just go to the track and ask the locals. Find out which most beginners starts in, and how often the rules change. This is important because you don't want to have the rules change every year (my local track does this with one class, and it gets expensive for the guys). Find out all the rules for these classes of cars, try to find magazines that deal with local racing and read them. You will need all the information you can get.

And one last thing, some people say they have the "Racing Curse". Now if I could just talk my Dad into letting me run a IMCA Hobby Stock this year. He doesn't want me to while in college.

Looks like Friz got to this while I was thinking.

(Edited by Kansas Kid at 10:26 pm on Feb. 25, 2001)

General Lee 01 · February 26, 2001

Quote: from Kansas Kid on 9:23 pm on Feb. 25, 2001

Don't plan on finding a girlfriend, as you won't be able to afford any gifts to keep her happy. ;)

(Edited by Kansas Kid at 10:26 pm on Feb. 25, 2001)

You'd find a Girlfriend alright, but it'll probably be the type that dates you just for the publicity, and will suck you dry (Not litterally).

Either that or some fat truck drivin' chick named Myrna. :)LOL

Kansas Kid · February 26, 2001

I see it didn't take the General long to figure out what that meant. Heck, you shouldn't know that kind of stuff already. You need to find that out by experience. :biggrin:

doverarjim · February 26, 2001

Now that you have heard from the circle track crowd let me tell you that it is cheaper to go around corners than to run a 1/4 mile!! Well almost, you can start out with any street car or truck and you can bracket race. Which is just one car against another and you try and run what you say you will or closer than the other car. I have raced everything from my street car at the time a 67 Chevelle, which was faster than the race car I worked on which was a 64 Nova with a 194 CI 6 cyl. and a powerglide. Over the years we built bigger engines for it until we were running a .60 over bored 250, with the powerglide and it would run 10.30 at about 115 MPH. We bought V-8 parts such as roller rockers and lifters so we had spares. We scared ourselfs out of keeping the 6 cyl in the car when we figured up how much we had spent on it. We started calling it cubic dollars with the rate that money when out and did not come back in. The only thing about drag racing is that in 9 out of 10 races you do not tear up your car. Other than changing oil and plugs, and adjusting the valves and or carbs, that was all that was needed. The only good thing about it is you can race with what you drive and if you like doing it you can work from there, you don't need to start out with a car built just to go racing. I had a friend that owned a Shelby Cobra (yes I know it is a Ford but man o man what a Ford) he hauled his slicks in the front seat and a jack in the trunk would come to the track once or twice a month jack it up put on the slicks and go run low 10's until he got beat then put the street tires back on and go home. This is getting long but one other thing just came to my mind and that is you don't see many old circle track drivers but if you start looking around you will see lots of old bracket racers and even in the pro ranks the average age is up there.

Zane · February 26, 2001

Thanks so far guys. It seems to me that the first stop might be a racing school. If you do good enough there then you have a chance to get noticed early.

Again, i'm just taking ideas, so no real thought as gone into it. If i really did decide to do this, or racing school turns our good, money might not be an issue for me luckly. I have a nack of talking to people and getting money from them.

Hmm, now i have to find the 5k to go to school. :biggrin: I can't wait! (I want to go even if i don't decide to drive professionaly)

General Lee 01 · February 26, 2001

Quote: from Kansas Kid on 11:09 pm on Feb. 25, 2001
I see it didn't take the General long to figure out what that meant. Heck, you shouldn't know that kind of stuff already. You need to find that out by experience. :biggrin:

It's called, television. LOL

February 27, 2001

Quote: from Mervz on 10:31 pm on Feb. 25, 2001
Thanks so far guys. It seems to me that the first stop might be a racing school. If you do good enough there then you have a chance to get noticed early.

Again, i'm just taking ideas, so no real thought as gone into it. If i really did decide to do this, or racing school turns our good, money might not be an issue for me luckly. I have a nack of talking to people and getting money from them.

Hmm, now i have to find the 5k to go to school. :biggrin: I can't wait! (I want to go even if i don't decide to drive professionaly)

Since you're in NH, I guess the closest place for you to go to the school would be NHIS. A buddy of mine went to the two day class that they had there and was pretty disappointed. The instructor rushed him through the prelims and then kept him choked down on the track because he had a "previous engagement that he had to get to right now".

He said it was a great thrill to drive a WC type car, but he expected more. His advice on doing it would be to go to a track like Charlotte or Atlanta where the course is permanent, not a travelling show/school.

Personally, I would rather do it at a track with some banking to it. I don't know if it's offered at Dover, but that isn't too far from you.

As far as having someone "notice" you at school, I've never heard of that happening, not saying it couldn't, though. I hope I'm not bursting every bubble that comes up, I just would hate for you to have a big disappointment, be broke, and then P.O.'d at the racing situation in general.

To succeed, you simply have to give up everything else in life. All those guys in Busch and WC have definitely sacrificed something huge; a childhood, a family, a roof, and definitely a few meals.

Good Luck and I really do hope that it works out in your favor.

HiG4s · February 28, 2001

If you want to learn to turn both directions!!!! go to www.scca.org and read up. There are dozens of types of racing from autocross (solo I), to one car at a time on a real track (solo II) to formula replicas to stock touring car to forMula Vs (little forumula cars all with VW engines) (different types of club racing) to performance rallys to road rallys. Enough hot pavement and flying mud to make anyone happy.

also check here http://race-track.com/tracks/ for many tracks

and here for the schedule of events at Loudon raceway

http://www.nhis.com/Schedule/schedule.html

May 4 and 5 is an SCCA driving school.

(Edited by HiG4s at 4:27 pm on Feb. 28, 2001)

Kansas Kid · March 1, 2001

HIG4s,

I was just thinking that maybe Mervz was talking about road course racing, based on his wanting to take driving lessons. Alot of road course drivers to go to school, but I've never heard of a guy going to school to drive at the local dirt track.

Friz,

do you know of any good magazines that deal with IMCA modifieds? If I can ever get started in racing (my dad is loosening up to the idea) that will be my second step. The super stock class changes rules too often, and vary too much from track to track to get involved in those cars.

March 1, 2001

I've seen some articles in the major stock car mags, but one of my buddies in Northern Mississippi races IMCA Mods. I'll get in touch with him and let you know.

BTW, their is at least one dirt school that I remember. It is a Sprint Car school and I think it was affiliated with the Kinsers.

Kansas Kid · March 1, 2001

Cool, thanks for doing that Friz. I will need as much information as possible.

General Lee 01 · March 1, 2001

BTW Kansas Kid,

When you said I was too young to know that stuff earlier, Which part did you mean?

The young chick who'll suck you dry, or the fat truck drivin' chick?

Just curious

Kansas Kid · March 1, 2001

Quote: from General Lee 01
When you said I was too young to know that stuff earlier, Which part did you mean?

The young chick who'll suck you dry, or the fat truck drivin' chick?

Well I was talking about the young chick who will suck you dry. Those are the kind to avoid, but a guy normally doesn't learn this until he has had some experience with it....

I figured you wouldn't mess with that fat truck driving one anyways. Your to smart to do something like that.

(Edited by Kansas Kid at 11:57 am on Mar. 1, 2001)