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Paying to Play The National Hot Rod Association boasts more than 35,000 licensed racers who participate in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, all competing for a coveted Sportsman-class National Championship. As the number of racers grows and the level of competition increases, the cost of competing for a "Wally" trophy is escalating.
According to several seasoned sportsman drivers, the price tag for running a competitive car, from the Top Alcohol classes to the Super Stock level, is running so high that what once was considered a hobby by some has become a very expensive operation, requiring either great personal wealth or the assistance of sponsors. Estimates for a start-up team to run a season in a new, competitive car is in the $275,000 range for Super Stock, and upwards of $600,000 for the Alcohol ranks. "It’s out of control," said Super Stock driver Joe Lo Cicero. "It’s not an inexpensive hobby like it used to be — it’s actually out of hand. The Super Stock class has turned into a mini Pro Stock class," Lo Cicero said. "But," he added, "it’s definitely big fun, and it’s addicting. a d v e r t i s e m e n t
Click to visit our sponsor's website "I’ve been doing this for 30 years and I’ve met so many people. I actually remember when [2004 third place Pro Stock Car driver] Dave Connolly was in diapers! The people you spend time with and the relationships you make are priceless." In Lo Cicero’s experience, a new Super Stock car built from the ground up runs $100,000, not including an engine or a transmission. "My engines cost $27,500 each, and you need one in the car, and one as a spare. Transmissions cost $6,000, and you need two of those, too," he said. Once the car is ready to run the quarter-mile, it has to get to the track.
In addition to $167,000 for the car and spare parts, Lo Cicero estimates the cost of a new trailer with sleeping quarters at about $55,000 and a new dually for about $45,000. The total is around $250,000 to get started in Super Stock. On top of start-up expenses, Lo Cicero estimates $35,000 in maintenance, parts, fuel and travel expenses while attending at least 14 races needed to earn National and Divisional points. "For the last couple of years I’ve been driving to the tracks and staying in hotels, but that’s just too expensive. I’m going back to a transporter with sleeping quarters or using a mobile home to reduce expenses," he said. For a one-man Sportsman team, it is sometimes overwhelming. "I’ve almost buckled at the knees a couple of times and said, ‘It’s time for me to cash it in,’ but I would be so unhappy at that point," he lamented. "What I have is the need to compete. I love competition and I think it’s worth the cost. a
d v e r t i s e m e n t "For a little guy like me to do this and stay afloat, I need support. I can’t afford it by myself. Sponsors have helped me so much in my racing career, but these days they are so hard to find," he said. Alan Bradshaw, 2003 NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster Champion, sings the same tune. His advice to someone with a desire to drive in a Top Alcohol class: "Open your wallet."
After winning the championship, the 22-year driving veteran sat out the 2004 season, citing reasons that were "purely economics." With his eyes set on a Top Fuel ride, he has spent time building relationships and working toward sponsorship programs with existing team owners. Bradshaw estimated start-up costs for a competitive A/Fuel dragster to be around $350,000. "That includes the best parts money can buy, a competitive hot rod and a nice used rig. If you want a new rig, call it $450,000." He does admit, however, that it can be done for a lot less. "If I wanted to make it inexpensive, I could have a bad-ass hot rod for around a hundred grand and put it in a $10,000 trailer," he quipped. Bradshaw went on to explain the number of events a team needs to attend in order to win the class. According to NHRA rules, in the Top Alcohol classes, competitors earn points for the best five out of eight National events and five out of eight Divisional events. Once they have competed for points at the maximum eight National/Divisional events, drivers can no longer earn points but can compete to keep other drivers from earning points or "blocking" them from winning. In all other Sportsman categories such as Super Stock or Comp, drivers can compete for points in eight Divisional and six National events, claiming their best five Divisional and three National finishes. They also can block other drivers from winning and gaining points. a
d v e r t i s e m e n t "So," Bradshaw explained, "you get your best five Nationals and five Divisional races. Then, if someone is really close to you in the points race, you go to events to keep them from getting closer. You can’t get points, but you can keep them from getting them.
"There’s a lot of strategy involved in what races to go to and how to manage the points," Bradshaw said. "The points race dictates which races to run and how many events beyond the allowed 16 races you attend." Maintaining a car while attending those races adds up quickly. "I went to 17 events last year when we won the championship," he said. According to Bradshaw, the cost per weekend is an average of $10,000, barring major engine damage and not including travel, room, board and salaries for the crew. Bradshaw said paid crew members earn $250 to $500 a weekend, depending on their skill set and responsibilities. "A typical team will have four crew members, a crew chief and a driver," he said. Airfare for five to six people to 16 races, hotels, food, marketing, entry fees and extra tickets adds around $50,000 to the total, bringing an ongoing budget to $200,000 to $250,000. According to Bradshaw, a start-up team can expect a price tag of around $600,000 in order to be competitive. a
d v e r t i s e m e n t Tate Branch, NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car driver, is definitely qualified to comment on the cost of operating a top-ten team. A familiar contender in the TAFC top-ten National-points races, Branch finished sixth in the 2004 season. "To buy a top car that’s ready to go racing — something with tires and wheels and a motor — that car is $100,000. That’s just one motor, one transmission, one clutch and all that. A truck and trailer can range anywhere from $50,000 to $300,000," Branch said. "To maintain the car and service the normal wear and tear is well over $200,000 total to be competitive. That’s once you have a truck and trailer and a car and motors and everything else.
"A lot of people do it for a whole lot less, but those numbers are for a top team," he said. Beyond the financial burden, Branch related the personal cost of racing. "I’m away from my family, on the road, and it’s very expensive. I ask myself why I do this every weekend I’m gone. Mainly, it’s only one thing — the competition. It’s the thrill of winning that drives me. "At this point in my life, my family is the most important thing, and it suffers, and I hate that. A goal of mine is to do this for a living, as a professional, where this is all I do. Then I would take my family with me [on the road]," Branch said. After studying the costs, if a competitor has his or her heart set on moving up into the sport, Lo Cicero suggests a very simple plan: "Start in your local bracket racing to get your feet wet. From there you can get an idea of what you like to do — heads-up racing or dial-in index racing. "Get a car that will run at the local tracks and taste the sport. If someone wanted to race at a national level, I’d suggest Stock. To start-up and run a season with a very respectable Stock car, the cost runs about $55,000. Then just add getting to the events," Lo Cicero said.
Once a driver has committed to a class and paid the price to compete, there are rewards far beyond the adrenaline rush of racing. Lo Cicero related his feelings on winning the Super Stock class at the 50th Annual Mac Tools US Nationals in Indianapolis: "Winning a race like the 50th US Nationals — I can’t even tell you how that made me feel. It was huge. It was the culmination of so many people coming together to help me that it just wouldn’t have happened without them believing in me. It makes everything I’ve gone through worthwhile and all it has cost me personally worth it." "In the end, for me, it’s all about the thrill of winning," Lo Cicero said. 
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© Competitionplus 2004
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