"The drivers can use Hoosiers, McCreary, Goodyears, or whatever, but we do have a tire-size rule," Helm warns. "As long as the tire meets our size requirements, drivers can run any compound or brand name they want. There are about 18 different compounds that Hoosier produces that our drivers can use for a total of about 60 different combinations of compounds, tire size, staggers, etc."
Cashing In Piecing together a car for the Hav-A-Tampa series can cost from $350,000 to $500,000 for a competitive team with all-new equipment, a new hauler, and spare parts and gear. That figure is considerable, but so is the Hav-A-Tampa prize fund.
"We pay well," Helm says with a grin. "Our one-day shows pay $10,000 to win and $700 to start. Our two-day shows pay a minimum of $15,000 to win and $900 to start. We also have different product manufacturers that offer contingency money."
The series also rewards its drivers who travel to races. Called the "Winner's Circle," the program doles out money to each driver finishing in the top 10. Also, the defending series champion, the current Rookie of the Year, and the Hav-A-Tampa Shootout defending champion receive money for simply showing up at scheduled races. There is plenty of money to be made in the Hav-A-Tampa series, and for many drivers, the series is their only income.
"For some of our top guys like Scott Bloomquist, Freddy Smith, and Billy Moyer, this series is what they do for a living," Helm divulges, "I am sure some of them have entertained ideas to run in Busch Grand National or ARCA. But when they take a good look at switching, they realize they would have to take a pay cut to do it, because they probably wouldn't finish as high as they do in the Hav-A-Tampa Series. We don't lose a lot of drivers because there really isn't a series out there that pays more money, has more prestige, or races in such a large geographical area as Hav-A-Tampa."
On Your Honor Driving in the Hav-A-Tampa series is as much a test of skill as it is of integrity. Drivers are judged not only on their finishing positions, but also on their honor.
"We have a rule that if there is an incident on the racetrack, and a car stops on the track, that car then must go to the rear of the field." Helm begins. "Basically, it means whichever car stops on the racetrack and brings out the caution flag, that car (or cars, if more than one stops) automatically gets repositioned at the back of the field, no matter what caused the stoppage."
"The reason we do this was that we consider our drivers as the top professionals in the country, so we keep them on an honor system. We believe that they will race in the spirit of good sportsmanship and fair play, and that they would not intentionally take a driver out in front of them. We pretty much leave it to the drivers to police themselves for their conduct on the racetrack."
The only exception to the rule comes when a car stops on the track to avoid an impending accident. Simply put, if a driver spins to avoid a wreck, then he gets his spot back.
"Another rule we have as a courtesy to the drivers," Helm adds, "is when a driver cuts a tire. The driver is allowed to go to the pit area, and if a UDTRA official can obviously see that the driver has a cut tire, then we give the team three courtesy laps under the caution to change the tire. This is in an effort to keep the costs down for the teams so they don't have to spend a lot of money on the expensive jacks and air guns required to perform quick pit stops. After the pit stop, the driver goes to the rear of the field without losing any laps."
Also, to encourage safety, any car that stops on the racetrack to have officials pull sheetmetal out during a caution flag will get their spot back. But, if the damage is severe enough to require a trip to the pits, then the driver goes to the rear.