Big money has ruined NASCAR. The top 35 are bought and paid for.
Any more I prefer dirt track racing in Late Models.
A few make a living at it. But for most it is just for fun. it does help to have some money to back a team up. But for twenty grand a year a dirt late model team can be pretty competitive. The limited late Model division I compete in, we can run very well for ten grand in a regional series that covers about half of Missouri. We can build the limited engine for under 5 grand. Of course, no marketing partnership offers are refused!
Pretty good advertising opportunities for several small to medium sized businesses are available and divided up.
NASCAR is a business. Racing is supposed to be just for fun. Big money takes all the fun out of it. However, even the smallest teams have to operate like a business to budget many times limited resources. We blew our only engine a few weeks ago. Probably going to sit out now because we weren’t able to secure half of the money needed and end up running out of pocket. So I have to think of my self as an enterpreneur, operate on whatever we can recieve in sponsorship, and hope nothing happens like losing an engine, although it was the first in 5 years.
And we are in the process of building two so next season, there will be no down time.
I’ve been to all sorts of racing my entire life, road, oval, drags etc. but never dirt tracks. I should try it one of these days.
We even used to make our own midnight road racing track over Coldwater Canyon from SF Valley to Sunset Blvd but don’t tell anyone. :)
Actually we street raced before it was a big deal also, but we were smarter than the guys these days because we went to areas where housing was going to be built. The roads were in but there was no through traffic yet thus not endangering anyone else.
Also, there were several dragstrips that anyone could put two cars up against each other. I had several opportunities to take a corvette down the 1/4 mile and that was a blast.
Of course these days where can you find open space like that? Sigh...
I wish you the best of luck with your team and keep us posted. :)