By Jonathon Masters

Racing is a legacy sport.

You can look through the results from any given event and see last names that have been around for decades. They appear in races from Indianapolis to Daytona and from Eldora to Knoxville. Racers from past generations pass their passion for the sport onto the next.

Today, one only needs to look at a handful of the young and hungry racers dominating dirt track racing such as Bobby Pierce, Hudson O'Neal, and Devin Moran -- all of whom are following in the footsteps of some of the greatest names in short track history.

The trend toward creating superstars out of young athletes doesn't stop with racers though. It happens in all sports, whether it's Tiger Woods or the Williams sisters, parents have invested time and money into making their offspring into world-class athletes.

However, when compared to other sports, the cost of running a competitive race team is a lot higher than buying a set of golf clubs or tennis rackets. The rewards can be great, but the time and finances behind it all is astonishing. So how about it? I have a daughter and a passion for racing! Let's run the numbers on turning this kid into a racing rock star.

Let's set some ground rules. The first is the starting point. We'll start at 5 years old since Quarter Midget racing allows kids to start around that age. Our end goal is going to be making our kid a national dirt late model contender. Sounds easy, right?

The first thing we are going to need is a complete quarter midget team. Now, I'm not going to break down every component of every division on the ladder or else this would quickly turn into a book. But that quarter midget team is going to start us out at around $15,000 for a car, motor, spare parts, and accessories.

Travel will be relatively low at first with about $2,000 a year in fuel and other items. OK, now we are going to multiply it all by four because this is going to be your life for the next eight years. By the time your child is 13 we are already $68,000 into equipment.

This is America, so I'm going to assume you already have a truck. If not let's tag on $20,000. Don't forget that kids grow fast over these years so at least five new firesuits and two new helmets are going to be needed. At around $900 a piece for the suits and $250 per helmet, we are going to need another $5,000.

Now your child is 13 and most parents these days know the quicker one moves into full-size cars the faster their child will progress. The next division we are going to tackle with our star on the rise is the dirt modified.

We are going to keep the team small and conservative because we will be racing at a limited number of local tracks until we hit that 16-year-old mark. A lot of tracks in the country do not allow kids younger than this age to race, but we aren't going to let them stop us and will seek out the venues with more liberal age restrictions.

The car, motor, parts, and accessories are going to cost a lot more this time. We are looking at around $30,000 to get started and an additional $10,000 a year to keep up with maintenance and replacement items. We may even need a new car or motor in this time so that's factored into the cost.

Our total equipment costs for the next three years will be around $60,000. Don't forget that with a bigger car we'll need an actual trailer. That enclosed pull-behind trailer is going to cost us around $12,000. Travel is going to go up a little at about $3,000 a year. Also remember to grab a new suit and helmet at $5,000.

The day has now finally arrived. Your kid is 16 and ready for that full-blown super late model ride. We already covered all of those costs in "All It Takes To Run A National Tour Is Guts, Talent, And A Half-Million."

We are going to back the travel costs and all items associated with running nationally down for now since you'll be racing regionally to get some experience for the kid. So $100,000 should be more than enough to get started. Over the next 2-3 years you'll travel inside a 300-mile circumference. But even that means your travel budget it ballooning quickly to $10,000.

The one thing you'll need to prepare for most is the replacement parts and components. You see, young racers wreck. A LOT. Your budget for parts, cars, motors, and help over the next three years is going to rival your startup cost at $75,000. Don't forget the firesuit and helmet costs again: $5,000 more for the cause.

Your child continues to show talent and has racked up a few wins while climbing the ladder.

The time is here, and it's time to go national racing. The task, however, is not over. Remember that the goal is to make her a contender. On average, that is going to take at least two years of travel. Now we are talking national travel, and we're going to bring that initial costs of racing across the United States back into the picture. You are going to spend an additional $250,000 over the next two years if you are lucky and don't have any seriously bad streaks of luck.

Now keep in mind that we have omitted some optional things you could have done to push your kid up that ladder. Many drivers offer racing schools and seminars. If you want to add all those classes and travel in, it'll add another $5,000 to our ending total which is already around $1 million.

That's right, only a measly $1 million separates your 4-year-old from holding that globe above her head at Eldora. Just $1 million U.S. dollars separates her from setting at the head of that table and accepting that championship trophy from a national series... well, that and the hopes there might be a little bit of natural talent to complement it.

Yes, that's right! No matter how much money you can afford to keep the furnace burning, there still needs to be that spark of talent to ignite the flame. Just think, sometimes people discover this after the time and money has already been spent. So is it all a waste? Is it all a futile gamble?

No, because the real reason to do this is the passion and enjoyment. Does your kid love the sports? Does he or she have fun? Are they passionate about it? If yes, then it is indeed worth the try.

- Jonathon Masters has a lifelong connection with dirt racing. His family has owned and operated MasterSbilt Race Cars manufacturing dirt late model chassis for 35 years. He attended college in North Carolina for motor sports management and has written for various industry publications. Jonathon was an account executive at The International Motorsports Industry Show, founder of the Heartland Auto Racing Show, and has been a racing industry professional for over a decade.

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