Warren Johnson raced for the money because sponsorships and race winnings were his only source of income. How many people actually earn enough from racing to break even against the cost of competing, much less profit from it?

==============================

I suppose I can add my own perspective to the thread. When I raced motocross regularly, it was a test of my riding skills and machine preparation & tuning skills against everyone else behind the starting gate. I wasn't fast enough to compete in a class where there was any payout for top finishes, so it was all for personal satisfaction.

Street racing cars was fun & ego, plus the possibility of a few extra dollars in my wallet.

Bracket racing was a technical exercise more so than driving skills for me. I didn't do it regularly enough to be really good at it, but I won one race and sometimes was happy just not going out in the first round.

As infrequently as I even get the track now, it's mostly to chase ETs and finding ways to make the car faster, i.e. a technical exercise more than anything. Whether there are opportunities to either bracket race again, or maybe try out a local 10.0 index class remains to be seen.

For fun and being able to open it up without getting tickets from the Police.

Neither...I race because I have too much money....lol

Sure wish I could say that ? Ron

I like trying to go faster."trying is a better discriptive word now days😳 Still, it is darn fun to turn on a win light, and on the rare occasion it is a final, real exciting for this old goat😁😁

When I started drag racing back in the 60's I won money about 1/3rd of the time , paid for slicks and fuel. Even won a couple big races back then . Not bad for a 4 speed geek. Now, just spend money building a car that I always wanted, a Hemi 'Cuda, It'll be on the track in February just for fun.

Yep.

just for fun,and the great people you make along the way,did get 2nd this year in a bracket race,been doing it for 40 years,never looking to make money out of it,just a hobby

I got hooked on speed in cars street racing and then won a trophy the first two times I raced at a real drag strip I've been hooked ever since.
The reason I race is to win Which hasn't been a lot lately
Next year

Ive become a millionare dragracing. Unfortunately i started out as a multimillionare.

Neither.

I race for the competition. It is a constant quest to get better.
Obviously the money and trophys and winners pictures are fun and desirable, but for me its about the competition.

Same here. Always looking for a new best...I get bored running the same stuff for too long. If there happens to be a headsup class my car fits into well, then I run it. Won the only bracket race I've ever entered. Won a couple street car shootouts, runner upped in a bunch, been outrun a bunch, spun the tires and lost a lot too. Sure aint doin it for the money. All about the fun and the rush of a good pass.

I race for one reason ONLY.

Deep down I know that for every thou of a sec I'm faster, somewhere, somehow, a starving pygmy will get a ham sandwich straight from the hand of jesus. That's it, nothing more, nothing less.

Both. I've been fortunate to win a good chunk of change racing the past 10 years, and I do look at purse/payout when I'm planning where to race. In the end the thing that keeps you coming back are the friendships made, no one is out there getting rich.

I race for the ladies, but as I get older I'm a bit slower and less interested.

Maybe I'm slower BECAUSE I'm less interested??? Anybody tried a little blue pill to improve track times?

I am by no means a competitor!! I am an ET chaser AKA tuna fish.
I street drive well over a 1000 miles a season.Bought my 1st car when I was 14, a 65 Belvedere big block,stick,Cragers with N50s.I was addicted!

Some of my friends won a lot of money and by a lot I mean 10,000-20,000 dollar plus races and they are digging for change in the ashtray just like I am at the end of the month. I do not go after sponsoring and never will out of being stubborn and wanting to totally run my program but I can sure see the benefits of getting free tires, fuel, etc. to old to change my thinking now. Lol
I watch guys double entering cars at races in sometimes multiple cars and just shake my head. Then they hit the 150.00 buy back lane if they lose one entry. No thanks.

1000 miles a year ? That's impressive coming out of Long Island ! .... With all the wind, rain and snow and coooold weather - you have only about 10 days a year to cruise that Beast ! .... 100 miles a day - in THAT TRAFFIC. .. Lol

If I could only afford to do Drag Week!! I still have not seen more than 10 lbs of boost without spinning the 10.5 W