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i think what will happen is kyle steps up when richard ultimately steps down, one way or another.
as for drivers that i follow, elliot and suarez among them, i think these two will step up next season, and i think wallace will have a tough first year, but he will earn the respect of the rest of the drivers, and he will have a much better second season. i still wonder who will win their first race first, elliot or suarez. it was a bad day when they took each other out at the front of the field a couple of weeks ago.
i think what will happen is kyle steps up when richard ultimately steps down, one way or another.
as for drivers that i follow, elliot and suarez among them, i think these two will step up next season, and i think wallace will have a tough first year, but he will earn the respect of the rest of the drivers, and he will have a much better second season. i still wonder who will win their first race first, elliot or suarez. it was a bad day when they took each other out at the front of the field a couple of weeks ago.
Kyle already was running Petty Enterprises back in the day when it was sold to Gillette. They were done without that sale. Kyle didn't have a sponsor, they lost Cheerios.. Gillette brought Richard over for his name.
Kyle just doesn't have the name recognition from that side. Obviously, he can raise money for charity quite well, tho.
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)?
Racing is a sport that requires you to bring money to get the seat. The money can be from you, your family or from a sponsor but you will need it. It is definitely a sport for the wealthy, most modern professional race car drivers use their family wealth to get started.
I actually have experience with this, I started in karts, did some SCCA amateur road racing and had a brief stint as a professional driver. I was getting paid but it was a pittance compared to the money I was expected to find from sponsors to buy my seat. On the way up, you will need a large amount of funding to build your skills and personal brand. Even at the top ranks, keeping your seat is mainly based on your ability to get sponsors to pay the bills.
I'm based in Maryland so I would guess the closest racecar track to me is the Dover Speedway?
there is richmond VA, shenandoah VA, bristol Va might even be close enough. so there are three tracks near you i can think of, in addition to dover. start by getting a hold of the what ever sanctioning body you plan to drive in, and get their information on the various tracks in your area. for instance the SCCA has events all over, some on established race tracks, some in large parking lots, etc.
you might even contact a number of sanctioning bodies, and most will have tracks in your area.
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)?
I checked into Go karting some years back. My son enjoys racing like me so I thought getting him into Go Karting... well, fun and expensive... just to purchase a half way decent kart was gonna cost 5k.. then i had to haul it to and from the track or house it at the track for more $... maintain the kart, upgrade the kart, fuel the kart..... insure the kart...
There were several tracks close to me.. one about 30 min North was a high end, paved road course... they had high end karts for sale, all the upgrades you need and you could house your kart at the facility for about $200 a month or you could rent a Kart to race... Regular races every weekend.. kinda pricy to run there..
There was a cheaper dirt track about an hour South... it was a no frills place to go and race.. they had races almost every weekend, all different classes.. small fee.. it would have been ideal to get your feet wet but you had to bring your own Kart and you had to transport your kart to and from, which means you needed a truck (which most of us have) and a trailer but also a place to house the Kart at home...
Then there was this new place real close to me call K1 Speed.. it was an indoor track with Electric (furnished) Karts.. the track was a tight road course and they had different classes and leagues where you could show up and race once a month or so.. it was pricy to race but considering there was no initial layout to purchase a Kart.. it was the best place to start out just to confirm it was something my son would enjoy... Obviously this was the one we chose because i could get his feet wet, see if he enoyed it and i didn't have to BUY a KART..
there are both and it is usually determined by the class you wish to race in ..
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