New Dragstrip Racing Entrance Fees

Seems like a lot of the dragstrips are raising their prices for test n tune sessions.
I see a bunch are saying support your dragstrip but $150.00 -$200.00 for a test and tune is a bit steep.
What's your feelings on this?

I am a poor person but I saved up & had NO problem paying 200 bucks to my Local track Houston Raceway Park , if thats what it takes to help them survive .

Tracks have been hit hard with this virus crap, so if that fee helps keep them in business, I can get past that.
Granted, most racers are tight on money, but I don't know of a better alternative.

I'm also OK with getting a bunch of T&T passes.

Yup.

Use em or lose em.

we pay $250 for a rental now so if that's a price to keep our tracks alive. Im in

How many passes can you expect to get ?
If you are close to ten , I'd say you did pretty alright.

Around here some that are open still have to limit the number of cars/people allowed in. 41 had T&T scheduled for this weekend with a $50 tech card. Some guys were crying like little beotches, but they sold out I believe.

Coles County was having a high roller and low roller race today. Sold both out with only single entries in each.

So you guys are ok with $150.00 to $200.00 every week or twice a month to race?
I can understand if you go out a few times a year but a racer that gets out 3 or 4 times a month.

so when the track is gone, NEVER to return then where are you going to run your car ?

How many times, do you go out a year and race?

You didn’t give an allowed car count to give an answer. At keystone two four hour sessions of 15 cars for a total maximum of 25 people allowed at the track. What would be fair in your eyes. One guy got 11 passes (ran out of fuel) last week and another guy got 14.

Honestly, I`m just glad to hear that people are racing again.

I'm glad they are racing but being retired and on a fixed income.
A $600.00 race day is too rich for my blood on a weekly basis. Or even twice a month.

Remember, tracks bere have already lost 1/3 of their season. Besides, it's not like things are normal and they just jacked up prices for fun.

RT 66 hasn't opened up at all, and probably will lose their national event this year if our wonderful governor has his way.

Except for taxes, they had no expenses to pay.
No employees, electric, ambulance personnel. No traction compound or machinery to operate.
Everyone is in the same boat as the tracks.
Let's see a $25.00 hamburger or a $15.00 Dunkin donuts coffee then.

I'm with you.. no I wont pay $200 to race.. I'd just sell out.. because I dont think they will be
in business long at those rates

If I only raced 2 or 3 times a year, and had no choice, I'd pay it but definitely not a weekly or bimonthly basis.
That's close to $10,000 per season to race and that doesnt include maintenance on the car or if something breaks.

150 to 200 beans to T & T ?

You can race for FIVE LARGE for 100 clams!

And I don’t think their test days have changed from 20 ....

And how much do you think taxes are? Property tax? Business tax?
You’re retired and on a fixed income, but can race 3-4 times a MONTH?

2 to 3 times a month @ $35.00 per entrance fee.

I am on a fixed income also, I go about 5 times a year, to drive my street car about 160 round trip & pay 30 bucks for a street race night & I get to make one pass is BS,,, I will GLADLY pay 200 bucks for a Test & tune & make as many passes as I want, I would go more but I cant deal with the summer heat. & money can be a problem.

So answer the question.
How many races could you attend at $200.00 a pop?

I sure as heck can't afford to race as much as I do at $200.00 per race.

I would learn more and have a better, faster race car paying keystone 256.00 and making six passes than I would paying 500-600.00 having my engine on a Dyno.

How many times a year could you pay $256.00 for your test passes?

Tracks are racing in Ohio today. If I had my new engine or heads up car track ready I would be there. My four year old combo needs no testing and will stay in my Duster till the fresh build is finished.

Our track is doing $75 test days. 100 person limit and no spectators..

So answer the question.
How many races could you attend at $200.00 a pop?

I sure as heck can't afford to race as much as I do at $200.00 per race. [/quote]


Depending on car count and purse at least 6 times . Most NSS races are at least $100-$150 entry with a gamblers race for maybe another $50. Have you ever raced at a NMCA event? Looking at least $175 to enter.

Depending on car count and purse at least 6 times . Most NSS races are at least $100-$150 entry with a gamblers race for maybe another $50. Have you ever raced at a NMCA event? Looking at least $175 to enter. [/quote]


What you are talking about is race day with a payout.
I'm talking about a regular test n tune day.

What you are talking about is race day with a payout.
I'm talking about a regular test n tune day. [/quote]

You posted $200 per race, not test n tune

test n tune is different, again how many entries allowed? Before covid a $20 test n tune ment a packed house and no track prep and maybe 1 or 3 trips down the track. I am looking at the $200 covid test n tune more as a track rental with a fixed amount of cars allowed, as in low car counts and chances to make passes.

If you are racing 3 or 4 times a month , I would think that you have the hang of it and maybe win once in a while ?
I will race as much as I can afford , and that might only be once a month.
And it isn't 200.00 a time either to enter , but I will do it because I enjoy it.
Even at 150.00 , I could make it twice a month and not miss a meal.
I would have to look for savings elsewhere in my budget , but I could do it.
You seem to think that there should be a senior discount ?
I am 61 , and like the sound of that too.
But that isn't reality.
Your options , as I see it , are to move , quit , go racing less or buy a track.
But beating on your keyboard isn't going to alter the reality that you / we face.
Like has been stated above , it's cheaper than dyno time.
And more enjoyable for me.

Reading the posts, I'd say that there needs to be a good description of a TNT. Atco,Grove and Cecil, you get mixed in with the days program, whatever that is. This turns out to be 3-4 passes providing the "Program of the Day" is running on schedule with no delays. At least with Atco, if you pay for one of the days "Programs" and go out the first round, you can get some extra passes if the TNT is scheduled for that day. There seems to be a liberal meaning of TNT from what I read here. There are also closed TNT's, that allow only a certain number to sort out their cars for the day and that price is subject to the amount of racers that show up and pay in advance. Once the count is met, stragglers can come in and pay the fee.

I’d say it needs a better description of test and tune. If you’re renting the track on an off day $250 a piece is ok. Two tracks in my area are open Thursday and Friday respectively, $30 in the door, run as many times as you can get. As far as the track not making it, most businesses have a fall back policy to get thru the hard times, like rain outs. If they didn’t prepare, see a banker, racers shouldn’t bear the burden with no compensation.

HAHAHAHAHA

Some of you guys crack me up !
Your tracks are open and mostly you have a choice of tracks .
You can often run multi times a month , we are mostly once a month event and maybe 1 or 2 t&t . The track seems to prefer street meets , $60 but kinimal prep etc and now no teched cars

Here where i live there is 1 track an hour away , next track 12 hours away in another state !

T&T is normally $120/140 . A bracket meeting is $180 . Private days are limited to normally 25 cars @ about $300/500
OH , and dont get started on prizemoney

And as the track is closed and having the strip being redone plus other upgrades we wont be racing till September earliest
Will our prices go up ? Bracket is already flagged @$200
Dont get me started on prizemoney .

If that is what keeps the track open tough . Your choice , but if it goes away dont whinge . Dont forget they will have a relatively fixed opening cost , you have less car count cost has to go up per car .

Tex

Who is Charging 150-250 for a TNT? And how many cars are they getting?

I can see paying that for 15 -20K guaranteed race but TNT?

That aint happenin here.....

where can i get one of these tracks with no mortgage or lease payments? I would love to have one!

Joe

Yeah free race track thats some funny stuff. How about mowing the grass, painting and upkeep on all the bleachers, tower, buildings, plumbing, light bulbs, ya gotta stock the concessions with food and supplies. A little fairy doesn’t drop that stuff off in the middle of the night.

How about the track surface. Sitting empty for 6-8 months. Ya gotta sweep it ALL and remove ALL the branches, leaves, gravel, dirt, sand etc. including the staging lanes and the pits.

Then the vehicles, equipment, etc. you’ve got to start and maintain every gas engine on ALL the equipment , you can’t leave it sit for 6-8 months and expect it to fire up work perfect on race day. Some of that stuff goes bad just sitting there. It has to work when they open the gates or YOU cheap guys will be the first to be bitching about what a crappy track they run. LOL

For that money I’d expect an excellent track.... the faster you go, the more important that is. $35 bucks I’d expect practice for no prep.... and to have a bunch of wannabees like the good Dr there.

Are you talking a weekly T & T or a track rental ? At Cecil County in Md where I go it has been $35 dollars for a Saturday T & T and the weeknight one was about $20 dollars. I have not seen a $150 dollar T & T at all around my area. That's what I pay to go to a track rental day. I guess prices will go up some but I cant see them going close to $100 dollars as even if doubled that's $70 Dollars. Ron

I would do that anytime, no spectators and only 100 cars sounds like a dream scenario next to a regular TnT.

Maybe some people hearing of these high entry fees are getting bad data. I have noticed on my Facebook that LOTS of people are going to track rentals which of course cost more.

Yes I am talking track rentals, but they have been allowing more people than normal rentals & I am ok with that for now.

Ain’t nobody gonna go sweep the track, fill the food, start the equipment till a couple days before they KNOW they’ll be open. Now if they want use the time to fix or paint that’s their prerogative.

If you condone these prices, the cost will constantly go up.
Just because its racing doesnt mean you got to go bankrupt because of it.

I refuse to pay $10,000 to race for a few months.

I believe Cecil Countys owner Halsey started these prices. When other tracks follow, they are going to keep the prices up because they got away with it.

and to think of all the balling and complaining that was done when NU-BE raised their rates to $7.00 from $5.00 [], and then to $10.00 !!!!

41 posted this morning T&T tech card is $35 and crew is $20.

I know the owner personally and know the track isn't free and clear. He's gotten pounded by the weather every year he's been open. He's spent a ton of money resurrecting it from a ghetto craphole to one you can take your family to. I bet he wishes he had one of those free and clear tracks too.

Not here in Pa. Or in Maryland or New Jersey.
They all raised their prices.
They are treating test n tune like a track rental. Limited capacity I guess is why they need the extra money to pay expenses for that day.

Not here in Pa. Or in Maryland or New Jersey.
They all raised their prices.
They are treating test n tune like a track rental. Limited capacity I guess is why they need the extra money to pay expenses for that day. [/quote




Damn Sammy give it a break. Evidently you don’t know any track owners or guys that rent tracks because you are coming across like some one that’s never raced. pa and many track have set limits. If they don’t get open and make at least a few bucks they are done and I mean done. Track rent or mortgage payments, track equipment monthly payments never stop, taxes, emergency personnel when open, tower and track crew wages, insurance, and being that I am friends with the owner know that five years ago it took 1000.00 to prep two lanes. Sure they are only prepping one lane now but I’m sure that cost went up. So you do the math Sammy. 15 cars times two sessions, time 30 cars total for two sessions. Now do you really think he’s getting rich on this deal. Ohhh it takes three days to cut the grass each week too. Use your head a little buddy or better off open up a track and teach us how to do it.

I can see a lot more street racing if that trend continues, and a lot of potential new racers gravitating toward the street instead of the track..

There have been several big street racing busts already with everyone for spectators to drivers being arrested.

I understand your logic.
Completely.
But I guess restaurants will have 25 % capacity ,so I guess they should raise prices 5 times the normal price. The problem with your logic is that if they can get that price, what makes you think they will ever lower it.
That's my beef.
I'm all for tracks to make money, but 5 times the normal price is out of hand.

I wanted to get out next weekend but not going to spend $600.00 to race for one day and no chance of winning some dollars, going tounds.

Last year I went to a Wednesday nite T & T and it cost me $20 dollars to race from 5 pm to 10 pm. Saturday T & T's were $35. dollars. I have not heard they went up that much but I did hear they were fined $7,000 dollars last week for trying to open ? That's just what I heard but I have no proof. Ron

The owner Jim Halsey from Cecil County posted last night about the new pricing that will take effect next weekend. I just hope this isnt the norm otherwise I'll go maybe 2 or three times a year and I'll be selective to what time of year, I'll get out to race.

Confirmed .... Bradenton Motorsports Park... T&T .... 25 clams

Like any business, a race track has certain fixed expenses...
Whether there is a track event or not...
Besides taxes, minimum power bill, management fees, maintenance upkeep charges, sanction fees, mortgage payments..

Just my $0.02...

I'm a "pro-track owner" type of person (help with track clean up, double enter when I can, promote attendance when possible) but it's hard to support any business (of any genre) when you feel high prices are a direct result of poor management. Nothing's worse than paying steep gate fees to race at a track that wastes money or makes stupid decision, and uses those prices to band-aid their management style.

Pa tracks have been hit hard the last few years with untimely rain, and now Covid. Hard not to feel bad for them.

$200,for an all day track rental, seems pretty reasonable....

Do you know what the new prices are ? Thanks , Ron

According to the website 100.00 for driver 10 for crew member up to only 4. Pre apprroval needed .

Hey it’s happening slow but sure. Pa has 25 person limits and local states are open holding races with over 500 cars racing from all over the east coast. If they are dump enough to think this is better than just opening up tracks to their normal 150-200 weekly car counts we shall see the results. I heard one track had around 700 cars.

From Cecils website.

Only thoughts that come to my mind on the subject are use it or loose it. Our local track has been closed since the first weekend in March, and will likely not be open for racing until the fall. With other events already on schedule that take priority even the NHRA does not have confirmed fall dates yet, they are TBD.

As for the cost of racing everyone has a budget. If 100-200 for a TNT, which is what Cecil is advertising then don't go if its out of your comfort zone. But with limited entry and car counts it sounds like you will get your fill of runs. If you decide to go the other way to say Ohio there are tracks open all over the state to choose from. AS for what Id pay, I would GLADLY pay $1-200 for a TNT. We ALWAYS pay $100 for a test session at an NHRA divisional race and we might get 3 passes if we are lucky, never more as that's the limit. By the time I pay to enter my car pay for a crew person and the TNT is generally a $400 bill or very close. My local track rarely has TNT sessions and when they do its more like slip N slide prep so useless for either of our cars. For other events like say WCHRA or SCSN we pay a $100-150 gate fee then another $250-300 on top of that to race the event. I pay $250 to run our Q16 program which was a couple times a month, but we get a decently prepped track and a chance to race, outside of the normal bracket program. FWIW my next closest track is 4 hours away, then 7, then 12. SO choices are limited. But that will be changing for me soon.....

Some of you guys must like THE THRILL OF RACING COMPETITION way more than me and many of the guys I know.

Entry fees going up ...potential payouts going down

I don’t think I am EVER going to put that 27 roadster together - supposedly weighing 1870 at the starting line ... my ultimate project....

Competition IS RUFF down here ... if you can’t put together a PACKAGE of 08 consistently ... you’re more likely a first round RUNNER UP than not

I hope you missed a zero in that package as that wouldn’t get anywhere around here. A lot of the east coast guys are professional test n tuners and only go to sub sea level racing conditions for a bragging number.

Oooooops .... yes ... 008 !

Inside of a hundredth package consistently?

Just to get to the next round? Eh, I don't know about that Doc....

.... mopR ?? .....

I haven’t made a pass IN A LONG TIME but I have the action and it’s fIeRcE !

And I’ll leave the splaining responsibility to the cHeEzY gEeZeR since he corrected my post !!

That ole has probably MADE MORE passes than any 4 people on here !

Milan T&T has gone up to $50. We rented Mid Michigan last Thursday and funded our own purse. $250 to enter 24 cars. 2k to win !K to R/U semis $350
Doug

I was at our track this weekend. 1st opening of the year, in Pa. Parked Thursday. Test and tune Friday $35 , until it rained. Gave us time runs, on Saturday because of car count, some people got 2, some took 3 time runs, over 360 cars. $90 Sunday for $3000 in pro, $190 for $10,000 in Super Pro. Over 360 cars sunday, and around 250 cars on Monday.

Normally it is $35 for test and tune, good prep. Can get as many runs as you want. Normally $60 for $1500 in pro. Normally $90 for $2000 in Super Pro.

Also Payed $1000 for junior dragsters on Sunday!!

12 miles from my house..

Right there with you Paul. Numidia Dragway is open and thriving. Yesterday and Sunday there were a half dozen or so cars, just Testing and Tuning, in between rounds of the the $$ races. Testing rates are only $40 bucks, but just REMEMBER, and this is important, the primary cars are the ones bracket racing!!!!! The TnT cars are secondary, and fill in the down time between rounds. If you stick around later into the day (like after 3rd rd) you'll get plenty of TnT runs as the late round bracket cars are cooling before the next round.

Mike

New updated entry fees for this coming weekend!!

Pro $50 entry, Guaranteed payout $1000. $40 round money starting with 2nd round win.

Super Pro $80 Entry, Guaranteed pay out $2000. $60 round money starting with 2nd round win.

If you guys are within 200 miles of Numidia, PA, and WANT to RACE, then this is the place to be. There will be plenty of competition, well prepped track, good food, and lots of comradery after the race. Bring a mask, and apply some common sense and enable yourself to RACE or test at a nice facility. And don't post the BS about it's too far, it's too hilly to get there, it's gonna rain........they'll dry the track with the jet dryer and RACE. After the race, swing by my pit and I'll supply a cold one for your efforts.

I agree!! I was there last Labor Day for Bill Cohens / Northeast Index Racers Sportsman Nats running Pro Dial and 11.50 index and had a blast! Great track ! and I even Won some $$$! My local /home track Island Dragway is trying desperately to open, there are hoping for this coming weekend pending local government approval. If it costs a little more so be it, track mgmt. has a right to try and make up for money lost due to the pandemic, even with the track not open their expenses still occur.

Our track fees seem to increase every year but, payout never does

There was 386 cars , most entered at least 5 times over the weekend , she mentioned she had close to 2000 time cards

Memphis internationaL RACEWAY says June 11th TNT is $25 to run, up $5

As more tracks get open with less car restrictions entry fees will go back to normal or close to normal. Quaker City in Ohio got the go ahead for next weekend. So far I’m hearing test n tune on Wednesday and racing next weekend. My local track keystone in pa has entered there proposal but we are up a totally different Governor.

What’s the typical CAR and SPECTATOR COUNT these days ?

Car counts differ just like payouts. There is a three day (20,000.00 each day) race at dragway 42 in Ohio next weekend that is sold out. Like most big dollar bracket race we are the spectators after we lose. Mix a drink, grab a burger, and hop on the quad or golf cart and head for the 1/8 mile finish line. I didn’t enter this year as I already have 900.00 paid out for other race entries later in the season. I think this race was 495.00 pre entry.

Damn cHeEzY.... that D42 program coming up is impressive

A couple of Qs .... how many rounds do they allow buy backs ? Can one driver have multiple cars ? Do they have rules about heavy braking ? Is the 20k$ race open to all ETs ?

Buy back after first round only. Double entries allowed with 400 entry limit. Excessive braking is frowned upon but has been know to happen.

Pretty sure this one is sold out too. I am already pre entered at 600.00 for all three days.

Empire Dragway is opening tomorrow (5/29) for TT $50 (slick cars only), Crew members limited to two $25ea no spectators. On the 30th the they are dong a Box/No Box Same schedule the following week. They just completed a bunch of great improvements... the place has gone through a great transformation over the last several years (New concessions, Repaved Pit roads, More Paved pit roads, New/clean restrooms, Concrete retaining walls, New Tower, Wheel chair parking and tons more) and deserves a look by those that can make the trip.
Empire Dragway

RT 66 cancelled everything for June today.