Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Can we all agree on one thing? At least we didnt hear about a superior engine being outlawed by the outlaws because it's too good. On a side note did anyone listen to the #openred broadcast with Tom Devitt he mentioned he has been working closely on the tech side of things on a ford engine. 

Que new hosehead handle Kindbliss.

personally, i think the new, so it is being said, ford engine is going to raise the cost of 410 sprint racing in general. That is something we really don't need. Motor costs are already out of control. The SLM guys all used to run the chevy power. And then it  started with the roush/yates package ford motors i believe and costs have continued to ski rocket from there. I'm sure teams like TSR are going to be able to afford them. Who wouldn't want a superior motor, domination, more so than what that team currently has.  I'm not against seeing different motor programs, I am against the impact it may have. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Agreed! I think if it takes off and gains an advantage the mopars and chevys will come back with larger camshaft circles, bigger lifter bores. Then what is the next weakest link? 

Can't imagine that ANY race team turns an actual profit based solely on income (prize money only- no sponsor money) vs expenses.

not TSR/Schatz, not Jimmy Johnson, not anybody

my brother-in-law racer used to laugh when golfers complained how expensive it was.

And, hold on to your wallet when they make rules to save money cuz there's always somebody for whom money is no object. 

No headers allowed only cast iron manifolds - no problem - we'll spend 10 times the cost of off the shelf headers on trick cast iron manifolds

 "Big blocks saved bucks" until the guys with the big wallets got big blocks

I live in Houston and I find these kind of statements to be juvenile and asinine. I would expect this kind of talk from round ball sports but not from racing fans.....

Not true at all, when you're wading in waist deep water you just let it rip wherever you want to!  

I'm from PA and I have no idea what you're saying. 

#1    

Ascot was the greatest of all time..

West Capital wasn't half bad either..

Life is good...

Just having a little fun with ford 97.  Ever since I hit 60 for the nationals i've have stood by my error and he has made sure I don't forget it and have my side of boot with dinner. lol. I think he's a knoxville regular ? Never asked the guy. I'm a PA guy and he's  never asked me. So hopefully it's all in good fun nothing more or less.

95% of race cars do not make a profit, thier income tax at end of year will tell you that.

Who are the 5% that do?

you know when to be honest with you its that when i cant say for sure. some of the nationals that you say when you look down the road a piece lol, but then who knows? he pretty regular at knoxville butt my error about everywhere else if you said what i mean? im glad your a PA guy and hopefully nothing more or less lol. I never asked the guy. you stand by errors with boots then never forget it butt dont hit dinner at 60.

     Just having a little fun with alum.427 because I still can't figure out what he's trying to say. If I had any internet savy, I would post a link to the two jive-talkers in the movie Airplane. "Smack 'em! Yak 'em!"

I can't guarantee it but I would bet that 99% of sprint cars out there do not make more money than what it costs to pay for the cars, engines, tires, and travel to go to the race track. I'm talking pure cost, without sponsors, parts deals, ect... a competitive 410 sprint car you see on the track with the WoO is $60,000-$85,000 dollars to build brand new (car and engine). Yes there are exceptions. No there is not a brand new car on the track every night. 

For the sake of argument, let’s put together a dream team to run 20 races next summer during July and August. 

The truck and trailer are on loan from a top team and all travel expenses are paid for. The crew guys are independently wealthy so they don’t need a cut of what the car makes, the owner is a nice guy so he pays cash out of his pocket, and just wants to try to offset costs with what the car makes, he does it because he loves it! The driver is good! Like really good, can run in the top 5 with the WoO. Let’s give driver 10% of what the car makes. (Realistically 30-50%)

Here is what im giving them for costs. 2 cars, 2 motors, a set of spares of everything for those cars, $1500 a night race budget (tires, fuel, oils, aerosols, hot dogs, chicken bites, and tenderloins)

My cost breakdowns (top of the line everything buying new)

rolling cars $20,000 each                = $40,000

spares for cars                                = $20,000

engines brand new $55,000 each   = $110,000

20 nights of $1500 racing budget   = $30,000

Total                                               = $200,000 

Race

1 WoO race 6th, $2,200

2 Knoxville Weekly, WIN! 1st $4,000

3 WoO race 17th, $800

4 WoO race 3rd, $3,000 

5 Doty classic 6th, $2,300

6 Eldora 13th, $1,100 

7 Eldora 2nd $5,700

8 Kings royal 10th, $5,000

9 DMM Silver cup 17th, $1,300

10 Nat Open Prelim 7th, $1,800

11 National open motor blows up, 23rd $1,000

12 WoO race WIN! 1st $10,000

13 WoO race 6th, $2,300

14 pevley prelim 3rd $2,500

15 Ironman 55 9th $2,200

16 Cappy Classic, WIN! 1st! $5,000

17 Front row challenge, 17th, $1,300

18 Nats Qualifying night destroyed race car in A 24th $1,100

19 4th Hard knocks $4,000 Transferred into A

20 3rd Knoxville nationals A-main $37,500

$91,800 If I did the math wrong someone let me know. The driver gets $9,180. The car makes ~$82,000 to pay on $200,000 investment for 20 races. Owner is still down $118,000 with one blown up engine and one destroyed car. 

Last year’s month of money this driver would have been 4th behind Pitman, Johnson, and Schatz.

I'm telling you guys NO ONE makes a dime in sprint car racing unless someone else is GIVING/SPENDING a dollar!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlDXQdgx_QU

I am lucky enough to work at one of the best tracks 
anywhere.

Don't forget tires, which sounds like a huge cost these days. I was talking with one of the All Star car owners a few weeks ago, and while I can't remember the exact amount he told me he spent on just tires for the recent NY All Star races, it was enough to catch my attention - at least several grand I think.

Mr. Hunter may be able to shed some light on tire costs - I know he reads this forum, and his team made the same NY trek.

https://twitter.com/HR_10H/status/891502076576112640

This was after the Lebanon Valley Show.  So this is probably somewhere around $1,600 - 2,000ish just for this show.  Add two others in NY and yeah that trip cost well over $2,000 in tires alone...

Ya, he (Ray Marshall) said they looked like slicks. He has been facinating to talk to - I have learned how little I truely know about the costs of owning and fielding a winged 410.

I had tires figured into the $1500 a night cost, ~$800 tires ~$150-200 for fuel, ~$500 for Oil changes, power steering fluid, brake cleaner, pit passes, racing tacos, jumbo hot dogs, ect... ect...

Larson fan. Thanks for realizing that.  Because most think car owners must be rich.