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

Hi all

Just wanted to get some opinions on someone racing for a job. Not racing for a team, or having a million dollars. And not doing it to make money. Just simply for the dream!

For example when Robert Bell did a full USAC Season. With 1 car, open trailer, slept in pickup etc.

Is it possible or worth a shot just for 1 season for someone to have a go doing it like that?

If so what series other then the Outlaws would be ideal? Ie. All Stars, ASCS etc.

So just looking for opinions. Like open trailer? 1 car? 

Note: This isn't something that is being planned on right now. I just think it's a really cool idea and love when you see the odd guy doing it with no huge budget but because its the ultimate dream to do it fulltime.

Will probably cost a ton of $$$ anyway, but racing at your home track will save a lot of travel expenses over any of those series you mentioned

Craig Keel open trailer and pickup world of outlaws. I'd go woo to get tow money and points fund

Yeah definitely would save.

So you’re saying stay home and run at a track that runs weekly? Can’t make that your job though can you? Coming from Australia not to familiar with tracks paying weekly and so on.

That seems to be the most viable option, after listening to a bit on Clyde Knipp it sounds like that was their plan too.

How would you go 80-90 races a year without the ‘toter’ Or big hauler? Many truck stops or tracks with food and shower facilities over there to allow you to maybe sleep in a small trailer or in your car?

You can race for a lot less than what a lot of people spend. But it'll depend on your background & abilities. If I told you what I made as a salary at my full time job and was able to race 410 wing sprint cars and get a few wins and track championships you'd call me a liar. He'll I look back on it and don't believe it myself. 

How old are you ?  What responsibilities; wife, children, mortgage, etc, do you have in life ?  If you are less than 30, with no responsibilities, enjoy your year.  Do not be 67 ( like me), sitting on a computer wondering how life would have been if you "did it". 

That’s awesome that you can run a 410.

Would you ever do it or see it being an option doing a full National season? And running off of the payout that it gives? Or happy doing the weekend racing?

I’m 19, working full time. Try to save every bit I can because I race a limited Sprint Car at the moment and to go to America and do it for a job is my absolute dream.

So no responsibilities I guess, just saving the money and would need all the right visa’s etc. Being on the other side of the world is the main problem and why I’m trying to find out all I can now and get as many opinions as possible

Hi On The Crush - I am from the US and I am working in Australia.  I attend most of the sprint car events in Sydney.  There is more that you could do and learn in Australia before heading to the US.  You could become a crew member on a 410 team.   Learn to weld.  Learn to mount tyres.  Learn about car set-up. Obtain a commercial driver's license. You could find a position working on sprint car components or motors to build up your skills.  Look at James McFadden.  He started out in go carts.  He has worked as a 410 engine builder in Australia.  He is now 29 and he has won two Australian titles and The World Series Sprintcar Championship in Australia.  With that background he has been able to race extensively in the US for the past few years.  I encourage you to talk to people like James, Kerry and Ian Madsen, Jamie Veal, Brooke Tatnell and others who started in Australia and were able to race competitively in the US.  All the best with your racing mate - hope to see you at the track !

OnTheCush,

The Outlaws schedule is long and covers a large part of the USA and even into Canada.     Travel costs are high and when there are rainouts like this year there isn't as much in return.      The All Stars have less races in a much smaller geographic area.    Have you considered not traveling and staying within a region like Ohio, California, or Pennsylvania ?      There are a lot of different tracks, a lot of racing, and a lot of sprint car divisions in a small area in PA.       A few of the outlaws got their start in PA and it is the same with the All Stars.     Check out the story of Jason Johnson (RIP).   After he graduated from high school he took his graduation money and traveled to PA to get his racing career started.       

Do you have any other skills or business interests besides racing ?     A lot of car owners are also small business owners.   Perhaps you could work as a laborer for them and help them out with their business while they help you out by letting you drive their car or giving you parts.    There are a lot of engine builders (Rider, Ott, Charlie Garrit, Newmans, etc), and many other parts builders in PA.      So maybe you could do a bunch of work for an engine builder and end up with an engine as a start.      Then you could offer an owner an Aussie driver and a refreshed engine.  The more you can offer an owner (sponsorships, race parts, dollars, talent, humor, labor) the better your chances will be.         If you are a good enough driver, eventually your driving talent may get you a ride but you will need to prove yourself first.     

Good luck to you !
 

The biggest trick is to get the ball rolling.  When I was young I couldn't even scrape up the money to put a car together.  I would think your best be is to get together with a team and work as close to full time with them as you can.  I kept trying to put my deal together working regular jobs, but bills were killing me and I didn't make any decent connections.  I never could figure out how to live as a racer without the normal distractions of life, so you need to be around people that do it, to believe that it can be done.  The Madsen brother seem to have figured out how to do what you are trying to do.  Good luck.  I still haven't really figured it out, so  I just ended up starting my own business so hopefully I can just race my behind off between contracts.  

I no longer race but did manage to do it 20 years and most years I ran 35-40 races. But it is a HUGE leap to the next level to the degree it is what pays the bills and puts food on the table. 

I have looked into the All Stars a fair bit and I like the idea of the area they run in, rather then having to go coast to coast straight  on your own.

Would the payout from the All Stars series be enough to fund getting to each race? And do it full time

If what you are looking to do is get seat time, race and learn and not go broke, call the ASCS and see if they will take you on.  You get $500/night in tow money.  The races pay at minimum $300 to start and $400 for bigger shows.  You race 45 times so if you have 2 engines, and don't run them to lean, can get 20-25 nights out of each.  If you do as above and learn to weld, mount tires etc then you don't have to pay labor.  Finally, you can base your self in Oklahoma or Missouri or Kansas as some super small town with a very low cost of living but central to the races.  Buy a dually and a 32 foot trailer and you are set.  The only thing I would recomend is fly over same mates for the June west coast trip as that is a long trip by yourself and you will need some help.  Figure your nightly racing cost with no crashes is around $1200-$1300/night.  Given that the ASCS has rarely had B mains this year, you will have a chance to make decent money and if you do well, can actually break even a handfult of nights.

You can also mix in a few regional shows that pay well.

If you can manage to pull that off as a rookie I'd say you'd be the first. I'm just being honest.  

I posted this on Facebook back in January but it probably fits this thread. 

20 years ago about this time, my dad Michael W. Smith had a crazy idea. I mean REALLY crazy. He wanted to run the entire All Star Circuit of Champions schedule. 70 races. Not 55 like now, but 70. Places like Williams Grove PA, Knoxville Raceway IA, Volusia County FL, Wakeeney KS, Hartford South Dakota, Bulls Gap TN, Crystal Mi, Eagle Nebraska, Tulsa Oklahoma, Kokomo In, and everything in between. Racing with legends week in and week out like Frankie Kerr, Kenny Jacobs, Joey Saldana, Kevin Huntley, Keith Kaufman, Jeff Shepard, Dean Jacobs, Brian Paulus, and Sarah Fisher. 
     Here’s the kicker...all while both of us worked full time jobs and my brother  Todd was in College full time...with ONE CAR...and ONE MOTOR... Let that sink in for a minute. Oh, and my wife Kimberly pregnant with our first daughter. 
     To this day I still can’t believe we pulled it off. 38,000 miles, tons of lost sleep, arguments, getting fired and locked out of the garage, casinos, overtime, ultrasounds, getting lost, sleeping in the truck, making a USAC feature, falling asleep at the wheel (in the race car and the tow vehicle) crashing into a NASCAR crew chief, flipping under yellow at Port Royal, having Joey Saldana tell me I was braver than him, driving the Hampshire 63 at Eldora, Kenny Jacobs falling asleep on my shoulder at Keith Kaufmann’s house and so,so much more. My dad finished 5th in owner points and I finished 6th in driver points in the final standings. We made hundreds of friends and thousands of memories, most good, some bad, but I treasure all of them.     Unbelievably, all our wives are the same now as they were then. Kimberly, Carol Ann Smith,  Clare Smith  were all critical to our success along with a huge list of others.
   Some day I need to write a book. It was an amazing time in my life I’ll never forget.

p.s. 

Im still running the same bottom end tonight at Attica. It was the same engine all together till this past offseason. 

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This is awesome Brian!  Is that your Davey Brown engine (if I'm remembering correctly?).  This is great stuff!

The very same. By the way, my buddy Greg Wilson is basically doing it this way. He’s just living the dream. He may appear to be just another Outlaw team to some, but trust me, everyone should be a Greg Wilson fan. Spend some time talking to him and it’s very clear. 

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Oh Greg is definitively a role model for this type of venture (and frankly a role model in general cause he's a fantastic guy). He's living the dream for sure with his family and should be commended. Not sure how anyone can be anything other than a fan of Greg the driver and Greg the human being.