The more I get into this sport, the more I like it. My wife really wants me to get into ProStock racing. I am starting to like the idea. How many men's wives actually urge them to take up auto racing? That's not very common, so I'm starting to wonder if maybe I should get into the amatuer stuff.

My question is, I KNOW it's expensive, but what is involved in getting a car with a decent chasis to be able to do it? I understand it's a long road to actually get to the point where you can take it to the track, but I think I know enough about taking things apart and putting them together to be able to do this. I don't, however, know how to weld, so I can see that being an issue right away. I know enough about cars to teach myself the rest about engine compression and valve timing and fuel mixtures, etc.

I think starting next weekend I'm going to start going to the Route 66 raceway with my wife so we can see whats going on. I want her to see it first hand. We went to the SCCA races there and she was all for it. All I know is that I'm sick of being a spectator and if I have a wife that supports me, why not go for it, at least on a amatuer level for now.

 

i dont know about thepro stock class as far as actual cost...but i do have friends with cars in the low 9 and high 8 second range (obviously slower than NHRA pro stock) and i hve seen them buy and sell cars with a fully built chassis and drivetrain from 75-100 grand. you can get that fast cheaper, but those are cars that are raced several times a week without breaking. also, these guys have a great deal of mechanical knowledge, and those engines are broken down after every event, and examined, which helps to increase the life of the engine. they go through hundreds of dollars worth of fuel a day.

"cheap fast reliable"...you can only pick two.

not to mention, there is a licensing process as well as a great deal of skill required that will only come from experience. at the mopar nationals this past weekend, you could have gotten into a 8-9 second rail car for around 25k...without an engine.

honestly, trying to start out in a class like pro stock, even at a local track and series, would be like someone trying to start playing ice hockey in the NHL...including learning how to skate. if youre serious about drag racing, i would strongly recommend buying a project car and starting slow. you need to be able to diagnose your problems, and starting slow gives you more slack for learning...both as far as the running of the vehicle, and the actual movement down the track. my white car is only in the low 12s, but i can tell when something is wrong as soon as it starts up...i know why its slower if im off my dial, etc...

i would recommend getting something carbureted...but if youre going to go with a fuel injected car, your best bet is going to be a mustang or late model F body, as they have the most aftermarket support, and i can tell you from my forum experience that to go fast(10s-11s)with a newer mustang or f body, you dont need to know much (or anything really)about the workings of the drivetrain..you just need deep pockets and a good shop...as well as a reliable trailer. there are people at MF who dont know a spark plug from a freeze plug, but they have low 11 second cars...and spend ALOT of time paying someone else to fix what they screw up. the reason that i recommend a carb motor, is that you can do SO much with just basic tools. if my white car sputters at half track, i can diagnose it and adjust it in the pits with a wrench and a screwdriver...however, with fuel injected car, it can be a matter of tuning, and if you dont havea computer there with you, and someone who knows what to adjust to achieve what solution, you are screwed...but then again, most of the people i speak with at the tracks today, running fuel injected cars, wouldnt know the first thing about how to fix or tune their own car...especially if it has a carb. if my white car is too lean, i can find that out by checking the plugs, and then i can fix the problem by changing plug temp range, carb jets, or spitters...if it hesitates at the launch, i can fix it quickly...i dont have to worry about injectors or fuel maps, etc...this is why if you go to a regular racing day at RT66, iwould wager that most of the quick cars are carbed motors.

 

Well, I guess I should have been a little more clear and thought about it after I posted.

I'm not looking to just jump right into it obviously. That would be a really ignorant and stupid thing to do considering I have absolutely no experience. I would like to buy a cheap project car I can play with to learn from, and then eventually once I get it running well, start upgrading it to take it to the track. I'd like to start out with something I can drive on the street and just eventually turn it into a track car, learn from that experience, and maybe in a few years after I think I know what I'm doing (if I get that far) start persuing it further. I have the connections I need to get sponsored if I'm really good (at least I think I do) but I in no way expect I'm going to just be able to go head first into the fire.

Since I'm already familiar with F-Bodies, I was thinking about getting an older Z28, maybe even the 80s version (I think that's the 4th Gen F-body?) and use that as my little project. Maybe even a mid 90's Z28. I might be able to do that as soon as the spring.

I think I have 3 things I have noticed you need in this sport. 1. Courage. I have absolutely no fear of driving andnever have. I know the consequences and would make sure I spared no expense with a fire suit, etc. 2. Determination. Once I set my mind to something, I don't stop until it's done. My wife actually thinks I'm a little TOO dedicated to my projects sometimes, but I am the kind of person who doesn't quit until it's done, no matter what it is I work on. I'd rather take time to do it right then cut corners to save time. 3. Ambition. When I set out to do something, I learn absolutely everything I possibly can about it. I am the kind of person that doesn't want to just know how something works, but why it works, and how to make it better. That's how I got into computers, always trying to find a way to make things work better and faster. That's how I was with my Camaro when I had it, always trying to find the best and most efficient upgrades for the money.

Anyway, I don't want to be one of those people that pays to get to the top, I want to get my hands dirty and do as much as I can myself. If I started doing this, I want to know what every soundis and when I drive the car, not just listen to the engine, but be able to visualize exactly what it's doing internally so I understand how to make it better the next time. That's just how I think.Racing has always been something I had a dream of getting into, and grew up poor and had no way of doing it. Now I actuallyu have a shot and I see these older guys in their 60's racing and winning, and there is no reason why I can't start now, invest a few years learning, and then see where it goes. What's the worst that can happen? I learn alot and can now take things apart on my own. Granted, I think I'd have issues with transmissions and engines, but I know how a drivetrain works, I know how combustion works, and the next step is reading and learning exactly what part does what.

Anyway, this is turning into another book post You get my point though. If I decide gradually to persue this, it's going to be my car, my work, my time and my energy, and I'm not going to go out and pay people to do something I can learn how to do myself. That's something I always practice in my life, never pay someone to do something you can do yourself, and if you don't know how, learn how.

Even if it's just a hobby where I can make a few extra bucks being an amateur, it would be worth it, but I assume unless you go pro, you probably never actually make anything since you are dumping it into your car.

 

when i ran my small national circuit, in my last 4 years i finished 7th, 4th, 11th, and 9th in the points. in the year that i finished 4th, with event winnings and season-end money, i might have made some money. that was running6-8 events around the northeat (norwalk, columbus, milan, kansas city, pittsburgh, cincinatti, virginia). The most expensive part quickly becomes the travel, once you have the car built. we tow with a 28' motorhome and open trailer. the years when i finished 7th and 9th, i believe that i was right around breaking even, and that mostly means that i paid for my entry fee and travel. the year that i finished 11th i paid for most of my event entry and travel, but still "lost money"...however, my goal wasnt to make money doing it. also, the year that i finished 4th, i got gift certificates from a few of the event sponsors, in the amount of something like 400 dollars? the events typically cost around 80 to enter. the most that i won for a single event was somewhere around 500. when the series was much much smaller (mid to late 90s when i was in high school) i had a few class wins, but we only won 500, where the events are much much bigger now, and the winner gets a few grand. my last podium finish was a 3rd in milan, and i won 500, i believe...but i had to win 7 rounds to do it.

if youre going with a camaro or firebird, go with an LS1 car. minor mods will get you into the deep 11s with some practice. buying an LT1 car will put you at a disadvantage.

 

Is it honestly even possible to be able to get into something like this and still keep a full-time job? I mean is it pretty much, you get out of work on Friday afternoon and hit the road for the weekend, then come back Sunday night and spend the rest of the week after work getting ready for the next race weekend?

 

when i was running that series, we usually left on thursday night, so that we could start racing early friday morning. sometimes, we would start racing thursday...and in most cases, we would get home late sunday night..typically, you WANT to get home really late sunday night, as that means that you went a bunch of rounds on sunday. [8D]

a well built car doesnt really need to be maintained weekly. i have friends who are in that same series, running in the low 10s, who do only basic overview of the engine when they get back. simple things like an oil change, checking all of the fluids, checking the spark plugs, etc..unless you brake something in which case you have to do a great deal more work during the week. ive broken top end parts on a saturday afternoon, bought the parts at a local store, and worked until early sunday morning to have the car running for eliminations.

 

So what does it take to actually go pro? Is it just a matter ofa sponsor finding you? I mean are there scouts as in other major sports, does one go out begging and looking for them, or is it just pure luck that someone notices you?

I know the obvious, which is basically be a millionaire and have the money to do it yourself, and find sponsorship later, kinda like what Rich Ashley did. That is definitely a possibility for me considering I know alot of attorney racing fans, but that's a LONG ways away. I have alot of help though if I needed it.

This is all hypothetical though. I'm just wondering if I do it for fun if it is at all possible of I'm GOOD at it, to go further. There are two things I wanted to do in my life, one of them being a jet fighter pilot, and the other a race car driver. I couldn't fly a fighter because I didn't have 20/20 vision, so the only realistic thing left is this, before I give up, and I'm not one to give up on anything.

 

its just a matter of being competitive...the NHRA has lower level classes, such as the sportsman division, where you can be competitive without spending a million dollard on a car.

 

But does that entail making it a career sport and giving up your full-time job and dedicating your life to it, or is that also something you can squeeze in on the weekends?

 

i wouldnt think so, as it is not easy to make a living drag racing, especially at the sportsman level.

if you want to know what i would do, if you are very serious.

1. geta car.

2. find out about the nearest drag strip's point series. every track that ive ever been to offers a point series. at my home track, you pay like 20-30 bucks to join the point series, and then you need to show up as often as possible (every sunday at PRP) to have a real chance.

3. once you spend a season doing that, you will get a real feel for the competition, and the ins and outs of racing in a series. if you can find the time to make it EVERY sunday (which from i understand, you have to do to be competitive in the points, at least at PRP), you can then look into a small national circuit, similar to the one that i was a part of. also, if you win a points series at a local track, there are typically regional events. for instance: i know a guy who won the "Street" class at pittsburgh raceway park. him and the second place finisher, were invited to a regional meet, that consisted of winners and runner-ups from other area tracks. he then won that and went onto a national shootout. he won that, and for doing so (other than money and prizes) he won an NHRA gold pass, which gets him into any NHRa sanctioned track in the country for (i believe) one year. he then spent an entire year driving around the US on the weekends, running at different tracks for free. when his year was up, he sold his car, and i have not seen nor heard of him since then.

4. enter a small series like the chrysler classics event series, or the NMRA (mustang racing association), or whatever series that applies to the vehicle that you purchased, and if you can find the time to spend 6-8 weekends on the road racing, and stay competitive, you can then look into hitting up a few national events.