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

There's no doubt about it, $40-$50,000 is a lot of money - and a lot of money for a racing engine that just might blow-up in a few weeks.

Back in the good ol' days,  for me, 1983-ish,  I'm thinking a new, complete Gaerte, Shaver, Kriner 410 engine was about $20,000. So, wow, engines are double that now. No wonder the car owners are dropping like flies, huh?

Engines - double the cost - fact or fiction?

Inflation Rate 1983 to 2015= 139.6%

$20,000 1983 dollars = $47,922.49  2015 dollars

 http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

Good point, however I don't think you applied the inflation rate to purses or sponsorship support. How many years has the All Stars paid $5,000 to win? 

Thats a little over simplified way to look at it. You must also compare purse's and winners share from  1983 to 2015. If motor prices go up 85% and purses go up 50% in the same time frame then motor cost IS part of the problem causing owners to leave the sport.

It's like if inflation is 12% and your pay raise is 7%.

And who's fault is it the purses haven't risen? And now we have a track owner trying to do something about this problem- Chuck Brennan at Badlands Motor Speedway- and people are on here crying about it.

The worst president of my lifetime:
Ronald Reagan

I'll believe that when I see it at Huset's.........Brennen is going to make somebody pay.....The money purse paid at the top isn't nearly as bad as the money paid at the bottom.... In fact, some of the top purses are too much compared to the rest of the field. WoO $800. to start a Feature. That's crap!

Outlaws have been racing for $10 K to win for how many years now???

You were running that 1983ish motor 20+ nights before a refresh too. Try that with your Dott Ott set on detonate. That, couples with stagnate purses for 30 years = Myth Busted!

Seems to me, everyone is trying to prove your information wrong by saying that purses haven't risen to cover the motor cost increase.  But I think that is precisely your point, correct?  You are stating the motor costs have not risen out of the range of inflation over the last 25 years.  I am curious--anyone have any good $ input for other items--chassis, fuel, tires, etc.  Would be curious to see if these have also kept pace with inflation.  ????   If so, the purse is obviously a much bigger issue than the cost of running the cars.  We can't seriously believe that components for these cars would flatline for 25 years just because the purses don't increase, do we?  

I have this same argument with friends and family that think $4.00 gas is too expensive.  $4.00 gas is way too cheap for 2015, let alone the below $3.00 gas we have now.  It is funny how some people believe that some things should never cost more, isn't it? 

We need to compare purses, bottom as well as top, to inflation

"General" inflation rate is just that, too general

exactly

Too many variables. Inflation has been kept in check partly by cheap goods from China, which probably is hurting small to medium businesses that make up most of the sponsors

Cost/ purse ratio is the issue, IMHO

+1

 
 
 
They don't even know how to spell sprint car 
much less chromoly...http://www.ycmco.com

Rebuilds not only cost twice as much, but they are twice as frequent. Cost has gone up by a factor of 4.

 
 
 
They don't even know how to spell sprint car 
much less chromoly...http://www.ycmco.com

How many 270 micros, 600 micros, 305s, 358s, 360s etc etc etc were there in 1983?  We have plenty of "cheap" spec regulated ordinary working mans restricted reasonable average mediocre stuff.  Why the passion to elminate anything to be passionate about.  Our "top" division is already so spec and regulated it hurts.  If you want cheap, go to your local go cart track, get as excited as you please and stop continuing to water down what use to be spectacular.

Luna's Ford engine style that won 2 WoO titles and 3 
Kings Royals before a weight rule against the best EVER
in their prime and now DOMINATES super dirt late model
racing is no longer allowed/wanted in a WoO sprint
car.... Was Luna a miracle worker?

Don't you think the high cost of being competitive is watering down the sport?  I sure do. In every 410 series and nearly every local track in the country there are only a few doing the majority of the winning. I think tougher engine rules are in order....rules that will limit the high cost. We had much better racing years ago when engines were producing 650-700 HP. Do you realize the cost savings that would be. Plus, the less wear and tear on equipment and tires? I want to see racing for the win by many, not blistering high speeds by a wealthy few. Make it affordable again and I believe more sponsors will return.

Once again, there are many many classes all over the country with close racing for the win by many.  Lets keep all those and make one truly awesome again.  I see nothing today that compares to the Ford and the Dodge a couple little car dealers named Casey and Karl put on the track back in the 1990s.  Nothing sounds as cool today in my opinion but the stop watch isn't debatable.  Nothing has been as fast at Hagerstown since 1999 when old Gary Stanton's Mopar put a truly impressive unique hot rod in the 14 second bracket.  I'm as thankful as anyone I can still go watch various friends and family members in many affordable forms of motorsports and get enthused because I've known them since high school or because we hang out at Christmas time.  If I want to watch something that separates the men from the boys, I want SUPER sprint cars that only a select few have the balls and talent to take to the limit on the dyno and on the track as well. 

Luna's Ford engine style that won 2 WoO titles and 3 
Kings Royals before a weight rule against the best EVER
in their prime and now DOMINATES super dirt late model
racing is no longer allowed/wanted in a WoO sprint
car.... Was Luna a miracle worker?

 I believe 12k would have been the proce in 83/ maybe even less. 

I started in 83. Very few had store bought engines. My first engine  was a 9/16 400 with off the shelf unported -10 brodix heads, chevy crank & rods. and MAYBE 11.0-1 compression. I had never bought a pit pass at any race before I hauled my car to the track the first nite. That engine ran good enuff to a start on the front row that first nite. I wisely elected to start the tail and spun twice. I had no more than $3500 in it

You're not too far off the mark.