To an outsider, dirt-track racing doesn’t make much sense in these harsh economic times. To the Bill Baileys of the world, not racing makes no sense at all.

“After the first time I got out of the car after racing, I knew I was hooked,” said the 34-yearold Soddy-Daisy resident, a race driver for four years. “It’s such an adrenaline rush, and after you’ve done it, you don’t want to lose that feeling. I’ve never done anything that rivals it.”

That explains why hardworking people such as Bailey, who is part owner of the Diamond Billiard Club, are willing to overlook the fact that racing can be an expensive hobby.

“The economy is affecting the racers just as it’s affecting everybody,” said Steve Hixson, a veteran area dirt-track promoter. “It’s expensive, and when you add the travel involved, it is tough. People are having to be smarter with their money. A lot of people are flat-out just parking their (race) cars and waiting for next season in hope things get better.”

There are, however, alternatives to shutting down. Area tracks Cleveland Speedway, North Georgia Speedway and the newly renovated Boyd’s Speedway offer several classes of competition in their weekly programs. Those range from the expensive Late Model cars to cars someone pretty much can buy off a lot.

Bailey runs in the Front Runner class.

“First of all, no one’s in this to make money,” said Bailey, who going into the weekend had five wins at Cleveland and one at Boyd’s this year. “It’s all about the competition. It can get expensive, but in the class I run, it’s not bad at all. In fact, that’s why a lot of the guys stay in that division.”

Bailey said a car in the Front Runner class costs in the $2,000 range, and those cars use standard passenger tires instead of racing tires, which can cost $600 per set. He said his car runs only one gallon of fuel a night, and though several drivers elect to run racing fuel that costs more than $7 a gallon, the Front Runner cars can run on regular gasoline.

“There are things that add up, like a helmet costs $150 and up and you can get a firesuit for $100,” said Bailey, whose biggest expense beyond the car was an $1,800 trailer to haul it. “Once you get it all, though, the maintenance isn’t bad. I change the oil once every seven races and the plugs every 10 races.”

The cost goes up by the class, not surprisingly. A Late Model chassis built by GRT or Rocket costs about $5,000, for example. A top-of-the-line motor, however, costs in excess of $30,000, motors that have to be torn apart and re-built for several more thounsands of dollars every few races. The cost to race a Late Model car is $500-$600 per week.

There is an alternative here, as well, for those wishing to race in the top series on a tighter budget. Crate motors, named so because they go from the crate to the race car without need of upgrading, cost under $10,000 and are usually reliable for a full season with only minor maintenance.

“The crate motors have allowed people to get back in it,” said Rossville’s Dale McDowell, a veteran of the highest levels of late model racing. “It’s really helped build the sport again.”

Even with the alternatives, racing on dirt is one expensive hobby.

“That’s why a lot of guys are going after sponsors, either to work out a deal for tires, fuel or other things or to help defray costs,” Hixson said. “Luckily for us, people are still willing to go out and do it.”

Like Bill Bailey, who some day hopes to test his skill in the higher divisions.

“Maybe in the future I’ll move up,” he said. “I’ll have to wait and see what the economy does first. It worries me that so many businesses are closing up and people are losing their houses. But if everything works out, I’ll have to move up. It’s the adrenaline rush, you know.”

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