Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Not hating honest question, with all the racing in the Midwest why doesn't the Country Builders 88 race more? Are they short on stuff? Money motors equipment? Not sure if there's a work conflict maybe but I thought they always say they race for a living. Just surprised not to see them race more.

Per SprintCarRatings, he's raced 32 times this year. That is seems to be tied for best among comparable Midwest teams (Reutzel 26, Brown 27, Williamson 32, Randall 26). 

Yes early they were but lately just been running Knoxville and not even Huset's? Made me think maybe waiting on motors or something. 

I'd imagine it is time to focus on the most important event for the whole McCarl family....

Member of this message board since 1997

I don't think he has multiple 410 motors, and may have hurt his motor earlier in the season. 

Keep It Real

I'm gonna assume the incredibly high cost of racing and the amount of funds available to the team at the beginning of the year.  I'm sure this all dictates how many races the team can afford to run.  I get a chuckle out of "I wish the WoO would let guys run more races, so they have a chance to make more money."  The only ones with a chance in this scenario to make more money, are the guys not footing the bill as many drivers make a percentage of the purse money.  There is likely a budget attached to 99% of all winged-410 teams, and they get the entire season to stretch this budget out.  No one here actually believes it's profitable for teams to travel 500 miles to take home $1200 for 8th, do they?  It's gotta be paid for before they leave the shop. 

Solid post there. Most people in this country cannot comprehend a budget at all, let alone a yearly one.

Bingo! Not everyone has multi-millions to spend.

You mean the family with the 410 Sprint Car operation operating out of my neighbor's 2 1/2 car suburban garage isn't swimming in dollars?  The first thing that tipped me off is that they're my neighbors and nobody on this block can lay claim to huge amounts of wealth or we'd have twenty acres and a shop with a dozen rollers standing by.

So far their week involved running Husets, pushing their car with a new motor between the frame rails around the Beaver Dam pits Wednesday night and not figuring out fueling issues.  Wednesday afternoon I get text messages that they're in line waiting to get in and later a pic of the car sitting in the pit area.  I see the struggles and get an occasional earful about the challenges of trying to race against the big money.  
 

I laugh when I read posts suggesting racing teams should criss cross the country racing everywhere possible 100+ times per season.  There are a dozen racing teams working with a couple chassis and motors out of their garage for every high profile team.  The real racing takes place week in and week out mostly among budget teams trying to live the dream.  
 

Stan Meissner

Money and Time, could be the answer to soooo many questions. 

Keep It Real

I don't think they "decide" to do this.  I think almost every sprint car driver and team has a goal of running these bigger events.  When the funds come together to do this, many will pull the trigger because racing is an addiction like drugs and alcohol.  Guys like Brian Brown don't venture away from Iowa to make more money.  Brian Brown ventures away from Iowa because his calculator shows him the funds available from Casey's and FVP work out to where he can leave town and try to run for a couple of bigger purses, and he will still have the funds to run the races close to home he wants to run. 

Race teams struggling to compete is nothing new.  This has gone on, in every single class, since the 2nd race car was invented.   Guys that finshed 20th in the Indy 500 60 years ago did so because they didn't have the dollars to compete.  They were in the garage (not on social media) telling everyone that would listen that the big dollar teams were going to destroy racing.  Guys like Petty had so much more money available than guys like JD McDuffie, and back then, the high dollar teams were going to destroy racing.  Yet, here we are again today.  The high dollar teams have the money to chase these races with full resources, and the lower budget teams simply do not.  Nothing has changed.

I agree with Stan as well.  I also laugh when many in the sprint car fan base think teams can just traverse the nation for thesse massive purses and make millions!  LMAO!  Race teams race WITH money.  They don't race FOR money.  Sponsorship pays for most of these trips.  In many cases wealthy owners will foot the bill.  In some cases, dad pays for the ride for his son or daughter.  Not one single team----not one----could run a profitable sprint car team with a sponsorless car, off of purse, points, and tow money.  Not one.  Sure, Logan would be the closest for one year in 2023, but how many teams win a Million $ race?   Next closest would be Brent Marks a couple of years back----but who the hell can repeat that performance?  Sponsorships.  Someone elses money.  Wealth.  That is what has, and ALWAYS will decide what races a team can, and cannot afford to run.  Prize money is the icing on the cake, and is the carrot dangled in front of the driver.  That's it.  It's not what funds a race team in almost all cases.   LMAO when people actually thought High Limit $20,000 to win races were going to be a game changer for teams.  It was meant to put more money in the driver's pockets.  Has nothing to do with how muh a team can afford to travel.  

I saw a clip seems like Dominic Scelzi that He stated fiquring everything it cost $6K everytime they raced.So not hard to fiqure out that owning your own team and racing for a living is tough. 

I saw a clip seems like Dominic Scelzi that He stated fiquring everything it cost $6K everytime they raced.So not hard to fiqure out that owning your own team and racing for a living is tough. 

Stan and this is why many of the Pa teams do not travel. The payouts, thankfully, are part of the best in the country. You have 2 teams with the backing that lets them move out of state. The 39 and the 48. Macri has legged it out to knoxville and has run hi-limit. DD was criss-crossing ohio and pa for there respective speed weeks. All due respect, the guy in the stands has no clue what it takes to do what any team does. Boby A. once told me a guy walked up and gave him a 100.00 bill. i asked what are you going to do with it ? He said he wished a 1000 more fans would do it then he could answer my question.

They've got a good plan and realistic goals.  Last night they moved up in the B and were gaining on the two cars fighting for the final transfer.  They Stopped to swap Out a motor on the way hence the fueling issues.  The parents are both teachers and dad builds and sells log furniture on the side so it's a working family team.  I'm partial to those kinds of teams as a family member was a working car owner in the 60's and 70's.  They did well in that era and won some races along the way.  That Kind of determination resonates with me.  

I am certain that the McCarls are much further along with the family experience but I remember when Carson was racing up here when he was first getting started.  They used to come up and run a 360 at St. Croix before it closed while I was taking photos there pretty often.  

Stan Meissner

I will also add, which seeing victory lane Saturday night reminded me, he has a young one... so back to my original response: Time and Money. 

Keep It Real