Hey Dad - Buy me a race car!

STAFFORD SPRINGS, Conn. (WWLP) - So you want to go racing. You think you’d like to drive a car, own a car. But what looks easy from the grandstand is incredibly complicated.

22News took the opportunity on Fall Final Sunday at the Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, Connecticut to crunch some numbers. The data was provided by Bob Garbarino, owner of the #4 Mystic Missile Dodge driven by Donny Lia on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Garbarino has been a car owner since 1961. He says for a tour modified, plan on spending in the $25,000 range for the chassis which would include running gear and brakes, and he warns that “ it’s more the pieces and how they’re attached to the chassis that makes a car better or worse.”

Be prepared to shell out $40,000 for an engine, keeping in mind that figure could go higher. Garbarino believes most teams have a spare motor, and that means if there’s a backup car the team would have three motors. Although he says: “We have two cars and two motors. I lean the other way. We have very good luck with our motors.”

Remember you need equipment to tow that car to the track. At Stafford you’ll see open trailers, box trailers, and tractor trailer rigs that haul cars, motors, and supplies. Garbarino says six figures to get started is not out of the question. “It’s probably a $100,000 budget to get started with new stuff. Not a new truck and hauler of course.” A set of tires costs about $700, and you might need to buy three sets for a race weekend like Stafford. Tours and tracks often limit the number of tires you can buy for a race.

Bob’s team earned $7,600 for winning the Stafford tour race, while Rowan Pennink received $2,950 for finishing sixth, and Erick Rudolph’s 10th place payday was $2,200. Some people are shocked to learn there is no insurance coverage for these cars. Garbarino calls it “a 100% deductible” plan.

But leaving dollars out of it, there’s one important factor that’s critical no matter what level of racing you choose to enter. According to Bob, “It’s people. We can talk about dollars all we want. Each modified tour team has to have five or six guys that really can commit to be here whether it’s raining or not. To be here if it’s 1,500 miles away. To be here if it’s on a Wednesday night in Bristol, Tennessee. That’s a real expense in terms other than dollars. For people to get time off from their girlfriend, time off from their wife, time off from their kids, time off from their job, that is the toughest part of this game. Buying the chassis, buying the motor you have to write out a check. Finding people is a real challenge.”

For those looking to start in racing on more modest terms, there’s always used race cars. Kyle Nosal’s #83 Stafford DARE Stock was for sale on Fall Final Sunday. The family was asking $7,000 or best offer . You wouldn’t need a cup style tractor trailer hauler, you wouldn’t need a crew of five or six, and the schedule wouldn’t take you to Bristol. But you’ll still buy tires, fuel, and parts. You’ll need some dedicated people to help you maintain the car from race to race. More hours and midnight oil will burn if the car is involved in a wreck. You won’t race door handle to door handle against Ted Christopher, but it might still fulfill the dream.

Triskaidekaphobia

The fear of the number 13. That prime number is rarely seen on sports uniforms or race cars. Never is the number 13 a sure shot for bad luck. Miami Dolphins Quarterback Dan Marino wore the 13 and passed his way into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Joey Kendall of Winchendon, Massachusetts drives a mini stock numbered 13 and a half. He also picked up the nickname Sideshow Bob for the way his hair mushrooms out from under his cap, like the character on the Simpsons. Kendall had to deal with both sides of the 13 during the inaugural mini stock race at Stafford Motor Speedway’s Fall Final Sunday. Kendall started 18th and quickly became the car to watch. He passed his opposition on the bottom, on the top, and he even made a daring “thread the needle” move between two cars down the back straightaway. Sideshow Bob took the lead on lap 13 of the 15 circuit dash. Bad luck came quickly as he spun in turn 4 after contact with the eventual race winner. Nonetheless, Kendall’s performance made him look like a veteran of the half mile oval rather than a first timer. Better luck prevailed for the driver of another #13, Jim Peterson of Monson. Peterson won the Stafford Late Model Championship after driving to a 5th place finish on Sunday.

The Final Countdown

The table is set for the final NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour show and chase for the championship on World Series Weekend October 17th & 18th at the Thompson International Speedway in Connecticut. Donny Lia will contend for his second Mod Tour Championship. Lia won the tour race on Stafford Fall Final Sunday while rivals Ted Christopher and Todd Szegedy struggled through racing mishaps, taking a hit in points in the process. Ryan Preece