Thread: Can you make money racing??.

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Most say you need to go big or stay home.Tons say no.it's a money pit.

Well first you have to develop a wining combo.Going to say for super street or super gas or better.Building a rep as a winner is key.Maybe not on a national level,but in your area is very important.

Then you have to develop a strategy for a racing program.Tons of guys build a car and fall in love with it investing more and more each yr.Before they realize it,they have over invested into it never to see that money again.The approach is it is a business in racing and everything is for sale.Today it is true that with tight times right priced sales are hard to make,but I do know of a super gas program that even today is selling one yr raced cars at a profit.How????.Well look at it from the flip side of things.There are as many guys out there that try to build that ultimate first car or are as I said over invested in them.Distressed sales.Right??.So they are cars that are rollers needing whew dollars to finish them.Knowing what to look for and how to make those deals is also a key part of it.And have the ability to finish the car out is also major.So the strategy is to buy a car on a distress sale at the right price off season,finish it out with "that winning combo",build a rep for that car making contacts threw out the season,and selling it off at a profit each season.Yeah I know most say it can't be done.But I am very sure I know of a Super Gas program that has done that very thing for over 20 yrs and has gained a rep as doing that for buyers to ask about on the current car for that season.Winning in the business in drag racing is a winner all around.

Sponsorship (the right deals) are a tough part of it,but they are a key component of it all.I know of a racing program that went for only three yrs without a sponsorship(s) in over twenty yrs.It can be done even through the money is so tight these days.That was for a super gas program.

Used to be for parts sales this Super Gas program would go to the Parts Peddler auction one week and the next go to sell of those purchases to the Indy Drag Racers auction one week away at a profit taking the week to clean and make those parts right for sale.Dave Dayton also ran a auction that supplied parts for sale for swap meets in the off season.Yepper greet is good.

So it is said your only as good as what you leave behind for others to use.I have gotten to a age where that is so true at 62 yrs old.I hope I have helped some and the others surely will reject this approach.Well for the whole time I have seen this work,those that said it couldn't be done actually helped it because by not trying to eliminated the competition.

One last thing.Ever wonder how some guys where able to stay in the sport so long??.For some they just kept throwing money it and for others that are there they made the first hard investment never losing site of it being a investment and never taking out that first investment out to allow that money to grow in time and never get stale.It is more than just me saying this,it is a fact in many,many racing programs.

Same deal--- How do ya get a small fortune??
Go racing and start with a Big Fortune.

How do you make money at racing .... use someone elses money to fund your racing enterprise .... hold onto your own cash.

Sounds kinda like DA34GUY's thoughts about how to make a small futune in racing ....but I think truer words can not be spoken.

REGS

Originally Posted by DA34GUY

Same deal--- How do ya get a small fortune??
Go racing and start with a Big Fortune.

The Super Gas operation I spoke about sold his Sound and Lighting company(live sound and lighting company for concerts) for seed money for his racing business.I think the seed money yrs ago was only 30 grand and now that same investment has grown to three figures.Still a little guys racer operating in his local area.Both of us have never been known for earning money the conventional way through.

From what is see in racing today .... My friend Own & operates a drag car building operation .... Sheppard Race Cars ....... He's main biz right now & for last few yrs. has been Outlaw 10.5 cars ..... speaking to him the other day he says he off this year by 40%.

If you can make a paycheck from racing right now - God Bless.

REGS

A mate of mine gets paid good money to drive this, he just turns up on race day and they give him what ever he needs lol, wish i could be paid for doing something i love.
barnsey. the boat is powered by a 572 cube alcohol engine
heres a vid of him winning the iron nuts sheild, he likes to show of when he wins and celebrates with a 360 spin,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFAICgryRA4


a few more bad boats (blown alcohol displacement)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2rk1Qm0M54&NR=1

I won't say things haven't slowed a lot.Because they surely have.But the sell-out's of incomplete cars and the pricing on them has gotten to a point it is a buyers market.As long as you rebuild a documented winner.........the resale is still there.It is a major point of all this is buying it right in the first place.Turning winners over for a profit and loving each one of them.

I used to have 1 race car. I quit racing and now I have 4 muscle cars, 2 street rods, 1 rat rod, 1 restoration, 4 projects waiting, a boat and a Harley!

Originally Posted by 1gary

The Super Gas operation I spoke about sold his Sound and Lighting company(live sound and lighting company for concerts) for seed money for his racing business.I think the seed money yrs ago was only 30 grand and now that same investment has grown to three figures.Still a little guys racer operating in his local area.Both of us have never been known for earning money the conventional way through.

Sounds about right. Start with 5 figure investment and now have a 3 figure investment

Originally Posted by 61bone

Sounds about right. Start with 5 figure investment and now have a 3 figure investment

Well that was a-dud on my part.30 grand to start and now is about $350,000 I would guess.

As a racer myself the best advice I could give someone starting out is remember you dont have to be the fastest car in the class to win .I have built my car with proven parts so that it doesn't let me down.One more tip is you need to get as much seat time as possible and develop a routine and stick with it. I have never finished worst then 7th out of about 55 racers in the overall points here in the Northeast division.