Built a slower (10.00) car. No license need. No rollcage. Just an 8 point bar with swingouts. Easy to get in and out for old guy. Low rpm engine- easy on valve springs. Smaller slicks- relatively easier on $ to replace.

“If” I were smart….. I’d sell the W8/R3 mill and just put our high 10 iron head combo in, maybe even build a twin to it for a spare. Only thing I’m not saving there is that it’s also a 13-1 deal so it’d still need that $97 a bucket VP c-12.
I’ve also decided to upgrade my 904 which is a giant $$$$ pitfall in its own. Pretty stupid for a guy that seems to only make 30 passes a year anymore….. but here I am!

If y'all had not known or thought abou the car as a 'money pit', well folks time to rethink that! My last car (the Whale) is a fine looking auto, not competitive as a stock eliminator car as it's best was only -.49 under index at the time. If I wanted to be 'competitive' I could have thrown another $20-25K (or more) at it but being a poor boy in a rich man's sport finally made me realize the performance of your car's measured by your bankroll and how deep your pockets are. Every time I dig into mine all I find is...lint!

We buy 114 fuel by the drum so that saves some. Race fuel cost isn’t anywhere near the cost of diesel do to shear volume. I really can’t complain. During the 10 years I’ve run it. It’s won more money than the cost to build and maintain it. Of course if the driver doesn’t get it together that trend isn’t going to continue.
Doug

Fishing isn't much cheaper. LOL

I just had this conversation the other night. LOL My uncle used to give me grief when I started to race. I slowly turned a car that I used to drive into a race only car. When I bought a trailer, he said I was wasting my money "playing". So I took him down to his own garage. He lifts the door and there sits his "big lake boat". A pretty good size blue, sparkly painted fishing boat with about a 5,000 hp outboard on it. It had a trolling motor up front, some big arm thingys that keep it from drifting, live well, radios, etc. Right next to it was his "little lake boat", with a small outboard on the back, trolling motor up front and all the other stuff. There must have been 50 poles on the wall, 4 or 5 tackle boxes, and a better refrigerator than I had in the house, just for bait. I told him "you don't need all that crap just to fish. All you need is a stick, some string, a hook, and a worm". He didn't quite see it that way. Point being, you can spend all you can stand on whatever you want for recreation.

I look at it this way. It takes a lot of money to golf if you are really into it, but I wouldn’t pay someone to carry my bag. It cost a lot to gamble, but I refuse to make someone else a millionaire. It cost a lot to drink, smoke, travel, etc so you do what you love. If I had to pay someone to build my engines I would have been forced to quit years ago. You can sit there and be-itch about it all you want or you can hang a for sale sign and find other interests. I know after 47 years my racing years are winding down so when it happens it happens. But for now I’m racing every single race I can enter. Already paid for two pre entry’s and I’ll be getting my invite to another one early April. Three races 1600.00 to enter and looking for more.

Nope ! it isn't cheap everything is so expensive... I am retired and have a part time job to fund my racing , I am not running points or renewing my reserved parking space at my local !/2 hour away track for the first time in over 25 years so I will save a few bucks there but I will be traveling more doing pro tree/ index racing so my tow vehicle gas bill we be more than before. I am cutting back a little as the races and tracks I will be racing at aren't every weekend like the points series at my local track although they have cut back considerably on their points days . I switched my race gas motors over to pump gas which was a big savings in fuel costs a week however I do have a R3 / Indy head 408 that has a broken crank that I really can't afford to fix since a new crank is almost $1,000. ... test and tune tomorrow I am ready to go !!!

I have three race cars. Finally at the end of a one year build on two different engines. I jiust sold our dragster and will have that fresh engine sitting so will likely sell it. If anyone is looking for 1100+HP wedge call me Nothing is cheap these days. Everything just keeps going up. If it gets to be outside anyones comfort zone then they should step back. I have not raced in a year. I have a capable car ready to go but been focusing on the engine builds and finishing my truck. Nothing in that project has been cheap, fast or easy for sure. Hell the driveshaft for it is $2100!

You can’t take money with you when you die , life is short . My father raced up until his early 20’s . Then all he talked about was his next race car . He got as far as getting a power glide . He died at 42 . That’s not happening to me , no matter how much I have to work extra I’m racing and spending whatever it takes . Even Monty died early 50’s , life is for LIVING, as long as your family is fed and has a roof over their head ……spend it on HP !

Can I get an AMEN!!!

AMEN!!!

Amen and amen!! While I'm done with class racing I have a little B'cuda project that's got my attention and what chump change I have...can you say, MOPAR JUNKY!?!

know of several NHRA class racers that won several divisions and National races with cars that could only run between .2 to .35 under their index's.
Once your under your index it becomes bracket racing, correct

Ya own a race car? No one said ya had to eat 7 days a week, haha. Raised 2 children. A daughter and a son.. Both race and are damn successful. Born and raised as drag strip brats..Stayed out of trouble. Worked hard to earn what they have. They were with me and their mother racing shortly after they were born at the track racing. I have fought 2 cancers in my life. I won and beat one 16 yrs ago. I'm winning the second one. Not telling my age but will not quit racing my car till i can't climb in and out of it. Moneys for spending as long as everything is taken care of that takes priority then cut er lose! Work hard all your life, enjoy it damit.

boats, fishing, and goof, er, i mean, golf has been mentioned already, but horses ain't cheap either.
i don't do any of the above, but i make sure my doctors get help from me so THEY can have fun with the above "activities".............

A friend of mine's dad said it best, "anything that starts with H (hobby) costs money". He was right!.

[quote][/quote]know of several NHRA class racers that won several divisions and National races with cars that could only run between .2 to .35 under their index's.
Once your under your index it becomes bracket racing, correct?

Maybe so 25-30 years ago but not anymore Cab. I've had this car 39 years and ran a couple of points meets but it runs a tough class (E/SA and F/SA) and if you come up againts a similar class car (and most run close to .7-1.+ under) you're on the trailer. My pockets are not lined with gold for a Don Little or any of the hi-end engine builders pieces, and in those particular classes you WILL come up against one as there are LOADS of them, especially in Div 6 and 7. I have no complaints as I've been playing with class cars on and off since '71 but I'm building something simpler and no longer fretting over NHRA racing.

AMEN!!! x3

I always say they ain't gonna line my casket with it.