Budget open wheel racing? Isn’t that an oxymoron? Most people think of Indy cars or Formula One racing when you talk about open wheel racing. But there are some very competitive and cost conscious ways to go racing “without fenders”. There is go-cart racing, but that’s not really a car; no suspension and no seatbelts [...]
One of the best ways to Race On The Cheap is sharing expenses with your buddies. If you don’t have any friends in this sport when you start, you will have some shortly. For the most part, racers are a pretty great group of folks, especially in the vintage race clubs. Lots of comraderie in [...]
This is my current race car, it’s a 1971 Datsun 240Z. I race with two different clubs, VARA and NASA. VARA is a vintage race club, and I run in the CP class. NASA is a late model club, and I run in PTB. The car is based on the 240Z race cars of the [...]
Can you participate in the sport of autoracing without owning a dedicated race car? You bet! And legally too! I don’t want to even recognize street racing. Those fools give racing a bad name, endanger themselves and innocent bystanders, and drive up your and my auto insurance rates. I’m talking about legal, sanctioned events. There [...]
“How am I gonna pay for all this?” If you’re not independently wealthy, it’s tough. You are going to have to give up a lot of other things to pay for this new, expensive habit. I do it with the help of a lot of good friends, some sponsorship, and the understanding of a loving family. [...]
“So how much is this gonna cost me to start racing?” Race car – $2500-$5000 for a budget first car needing some work. Plan on $10-20K for a starter car that can win. $25K-$50K for something really cool. Example of a Sales website link. Trailer – $1000-$2000 for a used car hauler that is [...]
Your First Race Weekend If you can sleep the night before your first race weekend, you are taking sleeping pills! I was so excited, it drove my wife crazy. And I was so exhausted on Monday morning that I was useless at work. There is no way to plan for every contingency, but a little [...]
The Racing License So you have found a club you want to join, and have found a class you want to race in, now you need a racing license. Again, doing your homework in advance is your best option. Most clubs have in-house race schools as part of their yearly event schedule. You will need [...]