Quote:
Originally Posted by ethnicappalachian
There had to be a process. Does one start off at smaller racing tournaments then work their way up to the mainstream tournaments? If boxing is a poor man's sport, is race car driving a rich man's sport (so is golf)?
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What type of racing are you referring to and what level of racing are you interested in? There are a multitude of ways to get into racing. There are many thousands of people who make a living at racing that have never had television time nor are household names. If you are limiting yourself to NASCAR, Indy, or F1, then you are just touching the tip of the iceberg in motorsports. There are numerous organizations out there from grass roots level to paid professional who are virtual unknowns. Are they rich, in most cases no, but they race for a living.
Also understand that not everyone who races is a front runner or celebrity. Racing has become a complex
business of not just skill with a vehicle, but being press savvy, marketable, and being able to bring money into the business. For some that is being born into a monied or legacy racing family, for others it is buying into and paying your way up through ranks with your own cars, for others it is having enough of the skills and presenting a marketable enough package that others will take you on. In no place is it a case of "you look like you can drive, you have desire, here is a car, a contract, and a six figure job."
Does it help if you start early, absolutely. Nothing substitutes for seat time in a vehicle to get a feel for the dynamics. But there are also plenty of early starters who are nothing more than filling out a field of cars and will never win a race. Now, does the back runner in a major series have more skill than a local bullring champion, probably. But, drive, desire, and ability can carry you pretty darn far and beign a late starter does not automatically eliminate you from making a living driving.
Is it a rich man's sport, sort of but that depends. It is no where as inexpensive as boxing or basketball where all you need is a gym. You will need to start in some entry level series with some sort of vehicle. You will have regular and constant updates on safety equipment. You will have entry and travel fees. Lets not forget support equipment. If you are going to be competitive in lower levels, you will need to understand mechanics and dynamics and car set ups which will require a host of specialized tools and/or training. Even if you don't buy a vehicle and you buy your way into schools and series then you are still "purchasing" seat time without owning the equipment, it is going to cost. No way around that. The level of cast is the biggest variable to it all.
NASCAR, Indy, F1, NHRA, IMSA, SCCA, NASA, IHRA, ARCA, CASCAR, USAC, SCTA, ECTA, USHRA, ASCS, IMCA, ADRL, AMA, WOO, American LeMans, Rolex Series, Lemons, Grassroots Challenge...there are literally a thousand different sanctioning bodies for motorsports that address numerous different aspects of the sport and this doesn't include any of hundreds of outlaw organizations that chose not to conform to any particular set of rules. This fact alone means you have to begin define what exactly you mean by racing and being a race car driver to even begin to formulate how you approach the many, many different aspects of the sport.
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