Money Matters
I am writing you in hopes of getting help with what I view to be the most difficult aspect of any type of racing-money. By money, I mean all types of support that might be beneficial to a race team, whether it be cash, products, equipment, or any such support.
I have been a dedicated reader for years and have always anticipated the arrival of the next issue in hopes of the latest info in racing today. For years, you have done an excellent job of doing this. You have always kept us up to date on the latest parts and procedures throughout racing, but I feel that there has not been enough information on how to approach, communicate with, and maintain a successful relationship with a sponsor. I think this is one of the least understood aspects of racing.
Any knowledge you could pass along on the subject would be greatly appreciated. As a national publication, you seem to be in a position to be able to do just this. Maybe you could include it in a future article, perhaps as part of the current series "Reality Racer."Rob ClarkVia e-mail
Editor's Note: Since the letters are usually one of the last things to go into the production cycle, there isn't anything on that subject at this time, but you have definitely given us something to think about. In fact, that very subject came up in a phone conversation earlier this week.
The pursuit of money is definitely a challenging task. Part of the problem with the sponsorship search is the sheer number of people who have businesses that will help you find sponsors. In some cases (and remember you cannot judge by the actions of some), you pay a fee to a sponsor search group, but there's no guarantee of success. By the time your money is spent, you have no results and less money.
One racer I know told of a well-touted sponsor hunter who would get 20 percent of the money off the top, but still never found anything.
The success stories are few, but they are out there. Sponsorships are like any relationship: It can be hard to get, hard to keep, but well worth it when it's successful. We'll be looking into providing more information about sponsorships, their types, and the process of getting and keeping one in a near future issue of Circle Track.
For The Four
Ihave several comments regarding the four-cylinder compact classes in the Midwest. I would like the other readers to know that in New England, specifically Maine and New Hampshire, compact classes have been running for two decades or more and have been very successful, both in terms of car counts and spectators. I field a two-car team in the "Lightning Bug" division at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, a NASCAR-sanctioned track in Scarborough, Maine. This form of racing allows the "average Joe" the chance to enjoy competition with a minimum outlay of cash. Most of our cars were assembled for under $5,000, which is half the cost of an engine alone for a Strictly Stock V-8 car. We are allowed several modifications and reinforcements to the chassis, but the engine remains stock. The best part? Our lap times are within a few tenths of the "faster" V-8 cars. The Mini-Stock division at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine, is a bit different-4-inch offset wheels, rub rails, 11.5:1 compression, and radical cams are allowed. These are the fastest compact cars racing in the state, and lap times are occasionally faster than the V-8 cars. Every track in the area offers a four-cylinder division in some form. The Mini-Stock class at Oxford has been racing since the early '80s. Prior to and concurrent with this class, many tracks in the '70s up to the '90s featured a "Charger" division. These cars were perimeter chassis with a stock front clip, powered by inline six-cylinder engines with a two-barrel carburetor. The class disappeared once the inline six blocks and heads became so scarce that it cost twice as much to build a six-cylinder than a comparable V-8.