What you guys do?

Jim Dunn had it right. still costs the same, ALL YOU GOT!

 

WHEN YOU SAY IT THAT WAY I SEE WHAT YOU MEAN I KNOW ITS EXPENSEIVE I HAVE BEEN DOING IT AWHILE MY SELF I JUST NEVER BROKE IT DOWN TO ONE PASS EVEN WHEN I SPENDING A TON OF MONEY WITH TWO CARS AND A TRACTOR AND TRIALER I DIDNT MEAN ANYTHING BY IT NOT BEING EXPENSIVE I SPENT MORE MONEY BLOWING STUFF UP THAN MOST DO RUNNING A COMPETIVE CAR BECAUSE I DIDNT KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING AND DIDNT KNOW WHO TO ASK AT THE TIME IT WAS ALL TRIAL AND ERROR AND A LONG TIME AGO MY ADVICE WOULD BE PAY SOME ONE FOR THERE KNOWLEDGE GOING IN AND YOU WILL SAY ALOT OF MONEY IN THE LONG RUN

 

So how can you guys afford 18,000 a weekend?? What kind of jobs do you have? I mean 2000 a run times about three runs a day for a three day event is 18,000 rougly?

 

You've Got Your Priorities Straight When Your Race Car Trailer
Is Bigger Than The One You Live In.

 

SPONSORS

 

most races are 3-4 qualifing passes and 3 eliminition rounds (divisional) 4 at national events.

 

Read between the lines. If you average out the cost of hotels, travel, food and everything you need to run a TAD/TAFC in the top half of the field during the season, it amounts to $2000.00 per pass. In other words, take the cost of the entire season divided by the number of passes you made, including burnouts only. Some weekends are good, some are bad in respect to how much money was spent.
Do yourself a favor, hire a crewchief, and don't buy used parts.

 

Only two qualifiers max in div one.
And at nationals NHRA tries to save you money by wiping one of the sessions off the schedule. its also not a requirement to make all sessions or all divisionals for that matter. But the more passes you make the more the car will tell you what it needs.

 

I think we averaged about 5 runs per event in 2005. We have 3 qualifying sessions at national and divisional events and ran every run. Plus we did some testing at the beginning of the year when Larry Miner came on board in March. We lost a motor in the semi's at Tucson. Other than that we didn't have a significant blow up all year.

In 2004 when Marc White drove for me we went to 5 races. We ran a half dozen 5.50's and hurt a lot of parts due to an oiling issue which was later solved. Because we hurt some parts we just ran less races rather than trying to get cheap about it. That year we spent $60,000 and made 26 runs. It was over $2,000 per run 3 years ago.

Yea, I include everything in the total. We don't rent any hotel rooms because we stay in the rig at the track. If we had hotel rooms the total would be higher. I am the crew chief so we don't pay for one. But the hired guns usually charge anywhere from $1,200 to $3,000 per weekend just to hang out in your pit and tell you what jet to put in it.

RG

 

Remember These Words

Four seasons ago my son Chris "Da Fly" got his TA/FC license from the master Frank Hawley. He is a very special guy. I have had many conversations with him over the years. But I will never forget this one. I commented that this racing bug is so expensive that I feel like I have a drug habit. Frank replied as follows " Dave......your are actually better off with a drug habit because you can seek professional help for that. As drag racer,,,,you are screwed" Truer words were never spoken. Having said that..............Yes it is worth every dime to see your son racing against Frank Manzo at the Nationals. Nobody will ever remember that we lost first round ( every Time) but I will never forget. Enjoy it while you can.
Brownman and the FNG's

 

I hear running AFD is like Super Comp.

You really don't have to do anything between rounds and it doesn't cost that much.

BTW - you don't have to shift either.

 

Wow if that was a slam that was a good one and i assume you were born with this knowledge.... sorry i wasnt and sorry i have to ask questions pal! but to the rest of you who are willing to teach others thank you! there is usualy at least one person per message board who was born knowing everything.

 

It wasn't a slam on you (I think) it was a slam on the nitro guys. There are two set ups in Top Alcohol dragster, if you didn't know, AFD is injected nitro dragster, BAD is blown alky dragster, you have to shift a BAD, AFD is a clutch disc set up something like T/F, no shifting required..

 

Hey Medicone, A couple of words of advice- First of all -don't be afraid to use your real name here. You will get more respect than you will hiding behind a screename. I appreciate your willingness to ask questions but you sound like a total rookie. Did you really not know the difference in TAD and AFD? Some time at the track may be in order. Also the numbers being tossed around in per run costs really depend on how big you want to do this. I have run a small time program for a few years, we run a few events until we break it then it is parked until I can scrape the money together to fix it. It is possible to do it for less but going cheap will bite your butt eventually. Used parts that seem too good to be true usually are. I also am a firefighter/paramedic for a major west coast fire department. I work every second I can in part time jobs to pay for my dream. Is it worth it? EVERY EFFING PENNY! Dave Germain

 

As my old friend Bob Miner says " you really got to hate money to do this"

RG- 2k? really now (kinda cheap)

Mr. Jim Philips, I know its hard to not type in CAPS, but on the internet, its considered shouting, not getting personal, just a suggestion

I wasnt going to post here anymore, but my therapist told me I need to confront my anger issues, and go back to the places that hurt me.(just kidding I dont get angry)

 

Hey im not trying to hide my name is Tommy, iam new to this. thats why im asking so many questions. although yes i did know there are blown alcohol drasters and nitro dragsters, they are not allowed to use a blower though. im tying to learn as much as i can by asking questions and when they come back to gainsville ill deff. go see whats going on. so you can afforf this being a ff/para huh?? that as pretty much my quetion.

 

Hey Don:

I said I spent "more than $2,000" which was in reference to the $1,500-$2,000 number floated earlier. And Larry covered his and his family's own travel expenses.

If I put the real number up my wife will kill me if she finds out.

Throw in the cost of a new car every couple years (I haven't done that but I need to) and see how it averages out. I spent $20K+ just putting a Monte Carlo body on our old beater chassis this year. Stuff like that will skew the "cost per run" but it's still a part of the cost to go racing.

RG

 

I'm considering quitting racing and going fishing with my dad. I caught my first salmon this week, a nice 20 lb. chinook (he tastes good). Fishing has got to be cheaper than this alcohol racing. I just need a new boat...oh, and a nice GPS unit...and a good depth finder...I think I need a bigger motor...and a smaller trowling motor...I need a new Duramax diesel truck to pull it around, has to have nice wheels/tires...now need wheels/tires that match up nice on the boat trailer.........

Choose your sport, pick your poison.

 

My pal Tommy Naccarato and I were golfing one day at Goose Creek. We were paired up with a couple other guys.

The conversation between Tommy and I was racing, spending, golfing. Finally, one of the other two guys says "Is drag racing really that expensive? Golf's not cheap either, you know."

Tommy looks at him and says, "Listen, if you bought the most expensive Tiger Woods signature graphite golf clubs, Titleist titanium Arnold Palmer premium series sleeves of golf balls, Greg Norman Hi-Tech multi pocket leather golf bag, Nike sportswear micro fiber golf outfit and the nicest EZ-Go golf cart with the latest in GPS ball finding technology...played at Pebble Beach...and at the end of your round you drove the whole thing, cart and all, into the lake by the clubhouse and got in your car and drove home...then went out and bought everything brand new again for your next round of golf, golf would still be a cheaper than going drag racing."

Thanks to Tommy for putting a little perspective on the cost to go racing verses anything else we wanted to do.

RG

 

YOU KNOW THATS THE TRUTH