how to become a race car drive with out cash?

Originally posted by dave_welch
Another good track car to get on the cheap is a fox body mustang, they're plentiful, the aftermarket is flooded with go fast goodies, and they're pretty successful amateur track vehicles.

/\ /\ /\ THIS.

That's how I started. A junkyard 302 and a 2.2 LX with a blown head gasket. All together it was about $2,000 to build it into something I could win in. Find an LX with a solid body, ($500 for me), a 302 ($400, had barely any miles but was rear ended by a semi and not worth fixing) better than stock heads and intake ($ depends, shop around), H pipe with long tubes (again, shop around) decent tires and some higher grade dressings (pumps, ignition, distributor ect.)... It can be done fairly easily. Or take the easier route and get a junkyard 460 and better front suspension.

Once you figure that situation out, (and this is crucial)... BEAT EVERYONE who had made a name for themselves locally. Enter ANYTHING you can. Hell, look for a demo derby and pick up a cheap junker from craigslist. Pay $400 and win $1500. Worked for me.

Anyway, I still haven't figured out the sponsorship thing. I do things that cost next to nothing to enter and any profit goes to one or more of the cars and the rest goes into saying "screw sponsors, I'll pay the entry fee myself". So far it's worked well for me, but you're ALWAYS going to need money to get started. Unless your winter car is an Audi TT or Nissan GT-R or a Panamera (I'll have mine in a few weeks... yeeeey!) you first need to build something yourself.

Oh and I forgot. 90s Explorers are your friend. Explorer motors manufactured in October, November and December 1995, all 1996 and January and February 1997 came with GT-40 heads and a kind of replica of a GT-40 intake. The same parts were used on early 90s Cobras. Look around online, there is plenty of info on it.

The later Explorer 5.0 years had GT-40P upper, lower and heads. THESE PARTS SUCK. But anyway. Yeah. If you're feeling like playing with a 302 on a stand for a bit, you can always build a 347 out of a 302 (I love mine) and keep going from there. Just don't eff with the compression too much.