Do you need to be a multi-millionaire to race PRO?
- Thread starter BigDaddyB
- Start date
I would say to race on a big level yes, there's no way a sponsor is gonna provide you with everything. (A rig, A place to park the rig, parts, crew, expenses to travel, food, talent) I am sure you have to bring something to the table before you can even think about going to a sponsor and saying you have a nitro car and a dream to run a full tour needing about 4 mil.
I could see a unsponsored nitro operation running selected events and getting a return on investment tho you have to be damn good running an e.t. in the 3rd session to get in the show and you stay top 8 and you win first round. Say you did that at the first event of the season, you could gain alot and correct me if i am wrong but it would look like this:
3rd session of top fuel and they get in and stay 8th. They meet #9 and win round 1. Lose round 2. The team spent 30,000 on 3 runs and they get into the top ten. With the round win money and the top ten fund after the race, can it be a gain?
I could see a unsponsored nitro operation running selected events and getting a return on investment tho you have to be damn good running an e.t. in the 3rd session to get in the show and you stay top 8 and you win first round. Say you did that at the first event of the season, you could gain alot and correct me if i am wrong but it would look like this:
3rd session of top fuel and they get in and stay 8th. They meet #9 and win round 1. Lose round 2. The team spent 30,000 on 3 runs and they get into the top ten. With the round win money and the top ten fund after the race, can it be a gain?
Rajunz
Nitro Member
I would imagine that that $900,000 would need to be doubled in 2011.
vegasnitro
Nitro Member
I think if you are a Pro team owner, and you already own the rig, chassis, motors and spares, have a crew etc., then you are hoping that a sponsor will help you recoup as much of your expenses as you can. I have been told many times, by multiple sources, that you would be shocked how little money it actually takes to get on the side of a Pro car.
If you are just getting into the game as a team owner, you better be able to afford all of the rigs, chassis, motors and spares, be able to hire a crew and run the car for a while. With the exception of the Alan Johnson/Al Anabi deal, I cannot remember the last time a brand new Pro team hit the circuit all on a sponsor's dime, so you basically have NO chance of a sponsor funding your dream in the beginning.
If you want to truly see what you are up against as a future team owner, go take a tour of DSR's or JFR's shop in Brownsburg. The sheer square footage, staff levels and technical capabilities will give you so much more respect for guys like TJ Zizzo or Bob Bode or Jim Head being able to qualify and go rounds. Granted, it took many years for JFR and DSR to get to that level, but you must be willing to either invest the same amount of time or money to be competitive. And there is the true rub, you have to KNOW why you are going racing. If you are going to spend low 7 figures, you have to know you have an outside shot at best of winning. If you want to be competitive, you have to be able to spend copious amounts of money without breaking yourself or be able to attract and maintain sponsors.
The bottom line in racing, as with everything else in life, is: "If you have to ask, you can't afford it" and "There are no shortcuts to success".
If you are just getting into the game as a team owner, you better be able to afford all of the rigs, chassis, motors and spares, be able to hire a crew and run the car for a while. With the exception of the Alan Johnson/Al Anabi deal, I cannot remember the last time a brand new Pro team hit the circuit all on a sponsor's dime, so you basically have NO chance of a sponsor funding your dream in the beginning.
If you want to truly see what you are up against as a future team owner, go take a tour of DSR's or JFR's shop in Brownsburg. The sheer square footage, staff levels and technical capabilities will give you so much more respect for guys like TJ Zizzo or Bob Bode or Jim Head being able to qualify and go rounds. Granted, it took many years for JFR and DSR to get to that level, but you must be willing to either invest the same amount of time or money to be competitive. And there is the true rub, you have to KNOW why you are going racing. If you are going to spend low 7 figures, you have to know you have an outside shot at best of winning. If you want to be competitive, you have to be able to spend copious amounts of money without breaking yourself or be able to attract and maintain sponsors.
The bottom line in racing, as with everything else in life, is: "If you have to ask, you can't afford it" and "There are no shortcuts to success".
Last edited:
Just Paul
Nitro Member
I can see him spending that, but the McDonalds deal was part of it when he bought out Larry Minor from what I remember.
- Thread starter
- #13
Judging by the comments I'm reading the operation of a PRO team is a losing proposition. So if DSR and JFR folded tent then there would be no more TF/FC class racing. Don Prudhomme made the point that he could not race a car on his own dime. So my question is, Is the sport so fragile that if a number of PRO teams lost sponsorship that the sport would harmed greatly?
vegasnitro
Nitro Member
Almost every racing endeavour is a losing proposition. Ferrari spends 300 million a year to race in F1. A large portion of that is offset by sponsors, the rest comes from selling cars. A top flight Cup team spends 15-20 million a year, there are no sponsors paying out that kind of money. They are counting on associate sponsors, Tshirt sales, and race money to cover the rest to get them into the black. Audi spends 80-100 million a year on the R10 program, and it is rarely seen besides LeMans, all of that money comes from their marketing budget and selling cars.
Almost EVERY team owner in NHRA was extra-ordinarily successful businessman before they got into race car ownership. They could probably withstand the loss of a sponsor for a while, but if they lost their bread and butter business, then they are in much more trouble.
There is no DSR without Schumacher Electric.
There is no Morgan Lucas Racing without Lucas Oil.
There is no Kenny Bernstein Racing without the old Chelsea King restaurant chain.
There is no Bill Miller Racing without Bill Miller Engineering.
There is no Jim Head Racing without Head Engineering.
There is no Alan Johnson Racing without AJPE and the Sheikh.
There is no Summit Pro Stock team without Ken Black/Vegas General Construction.
There is no Kalitta Racing without Kalitta Flying Service/Kalitta Air.
There is no Tasca Racing without Tasca Ford.
And so on and so on.
If you want to be a PRO team owner, your best bet is to make your mark in the business world first and have a healthy residual business/income to weather the sponsorship ups and downs.
It isn't a sport, it's business.
Treeshaker
Nitro Member
Could you explain to me where these people made their living?
Don Prudhomne
Don Garlits
Chris Karamasines
Bob Glidden
Warren and Kurt Johnson
Larry Morgan
Larry Dixon
Lee Beard
Austin Coil
Bobby and Dom Lagana
Ron Capps
Del Worsham
Sid Waterman
Tom McEwen
And I could list a thousand others that I have met in drag racing that have made a very comfortable living through drag racing. Most are not team owners, and many have used their racing experience (and money earned) to diversify into other areas.
Did AJPE and BAE fund the owner's racing endeavors or did the owner's racing endeavors fund the start up of the companies? How many companies would never be if the founders were not racers first?
And did the Pub make Kenny, or did Kenny make the Pub? Did the racing endeavors make Kenny what he is today or the Pub, which has been long gone? How about his very successful towing service? Wasn't he racing long before either?
Could DSR be what it is today without the talent and commitment of Tony at the start? He was involved in the sport on his own prior to driving for Don, and had some success.
As in any business there are risks involved. But the bigger the risks, the larger the potential returns. Money can be made as a team owner if ran properly. The sources of income for a team are varied and abundant, most are not readily seen by the fans. Racing becomes an all consuming lifestyle, and sometimes the grind of the day to day activities wears the owners out and they fold up their tent and go on to something else.
clwill
Nitro Member
Virgil, with all due respect, I didn't say "made a living", I said "made a fortune through racing alone".
Yes, people can make a living at it, to varying degrees of comfort. But John seems to be the only one who has turned nothing into a major fortune through drag racing alone, with no other major side businesses (save the media efforts).
No I don't have access to anyone's financials. Yes, the definition of the term "fortune" is open to debate. And maybe JFR just _seems_ to be a substantially bigger racing enterprise than any of the ones you mention.
Yes, people can make a living at it, to varying degrees of comfort. But John seems to be the only one who has turned nothing into a major fortune through drag racing alone, with no other major side businesses (save the media efforts).
No I don't have access to anyone's financials. Yes, the definition of the term "fortune" is open to debate. And maybe JFR just _seems_ to be a substantially bigger racing enterprise than any of the ones you mention.
BaldyLochs
Nitro Member
Interesting topic. I think just like any profession, If you have investors/sponsors and are a good people person and know how to "use other people's money".... that certainly helps. But it also doesn't hurt to have "cash in hand" either. Not many millionaires list drag racing as something they aspire to do; but alot of drag racers aspire to be millionaires. Kind of like asking, do you need to sing good or play guitar better than anyone else in order to become a very successful recording artist?
Similar threads
