Imagine being trapped in an airline seat next to someone who just can not imagine that you do not want to hear his life story. It happened to me on the flight home from the Pepsi 400 NASCAR Winston Cup race at Daytona Beach the other day.
It turned out that the guy next to me was "quite a racing talent" (his words not mine) some years back. He had to give it all up, just when he was headed to the "big leagues," when he got married and then there were children. There was no time or money to devote to his blossoming racing career. He thought he might have been where Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart are now with their careers.
Now that the family and finances seem to be in good shape, he has often thought about getting back into the sport. Apparently this was news to his wife; she was sitting next to him, because she just seemed to roll her eyes when she heard that news.
"Back when I was racing, you could get just about everything you needed at the local junk yard," said the former racer.
Well he was in for an education. I took advantage of a break in his non-stop dialog to fill him in on what it might cost him to go racing these days. Actually it is a question I'm often asked.
Because of my involvement on a regular basis with racing at NASCAR sanctioned Grandview Speedway I chose to share some "numbers" with the former racer on what it would cost to own and race a Modified stock car at the one-third-mile, clay banked oval.
A new race car. That would mean a rolling chassis without the engine, wheels or tires would run $15,000 if you want to put it together yourself. Now if you spend $2,000 more the car comes assembled with powder coated frame and bumpers. Of course, just like buying a car at the local dealership, there are upgrades available. Air conditioning and stereo not recommended.
A 358 Chevy engine will run approximately $13,000 and if you want a Ford or Dodge the cost is $17,000. You may be able to get them a little cheaper and you can definitely find them costing more. No guarantees.
Wheels and tires are next on the list.  A steel racing wheel will cost about $150. You need at least four. And the tires are priced at $128 for the front and $135 for the back and you will need a lot of them.
Of course the car has to be painted and lettered (you need to put all the sponsor names and decals on the car) so figure on spending at least $500. The figure goes up based on how elaborate you want to get. Plan to spend a lot of money with the painter.
An open trailer to get the race car to the track will cost about $3,000. Plan on spending a lot more if you want the more popular enclosed trailer. But you can pay for it with the sponsorship money you get for putting business names on the outside. And it is great exposure for local businesses.
We will take for granted that you have a vehicle that you can put a trailer hitch on to tow the race car to the track. An Escort will probably not get the job done.
Now you want to look good and be safe so you will want a flameproof fire suit. The custom model with embroidery will cost you $1,100. Approved helmets, the kind that actually protect your head, will run $400 to $800. And there are driving gloves ($75 to $150) and Nomex Undergarments ($200) and driving shoes ($75 to $125). All items that you wear must be flame proof.
Fuel for the race car runs you $2.50 a gallon. You will use 5 gallons in each qualifying heat race and 15 gallons in a 30-lap feature.
If you break something during a night of racing you should have some spare parts. Our friend Tim Nordon, who stays informed on this kind of information, tells us you will need these extras:
Steering Box - $595
Shocks - $100 each (The ones you see advertised at the local auto supply store for $29.95 will not work)
Front Axle - $190
Radius Rods are cheap, just $8.35 or $30 each. However you need 10 on the car.
Transmission - $1,170
Rear Axle (everything you need) - $2,350
Front Bumper (buy a good strong one) - $40
Rear Bumper - $100
Side Rub Rails - $29
Just putting the Modified on the track for the first time will take an investment of approximately $35,000.
Now keep in mind that you have to buy a NASCAR license to race at Grandview. That is $190 for the season but that includes an opportunity to win part of the $1.7 million point fund posted by NASCAR and includes $1 million in insurance.
Other expenses to budget include pit passes for all team members, food for the hard working crew, travel expenses and there are probably a few items I have forgotten.