How much does a NASCAR car cost?
Here is a breakdown of a NASCAR car's cost.
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NASCAR (Credits: USA Today)
NASCAR was founded in 1948 and has a long racing history in the U.S. Previously, NASCAR drivers competed in unmodified road cars that were bought at dealerships. But the rules and regulations have changed since then. Teams now buy NASCAR cars from race car manufacturers. And, of course, the racing technology and car parts do not come cheap. The price of a standard NASCAR race car has increased over the years.
For a stock car at the Cup Series level, which includes the engine, tires, wheels, brakes, bumpers, chassis, and other additional parts, the cost can vary from $200,000 and $600,000. The engines are the most expensive part of the car. Other expenses arise from equipment, repair, maintenance, and other costs. The teams are most likely to spend an average of $15 million per race car throughout a season. Let’s break down the cost of a NASCAR car.
How much does a NASCAR Engine cost?
The engine is the most expensive part of a race car. It requires a large portion of the money due to its performance demand. There are many parts needed to build a technologically complex engine. Hence, the cost is high. NASCAR cars use V8 engines which produce nearly 1000 horsepower.
However, depending on the track, they are limited to 510-670 horsepower. The engine costs $100,000. And as the teams are allowed to build 13 engines per season, the budget for engines alone goes beyond $1 million. NASCAR teams might use multiple engines over a single race weekend.
How much do the NASCAR tires cost?
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company does not come cheap at all. NASCAR has had a sponsorship with them for almost seven decades. A lot of processes go into building a tire. The tires are custom-built to enhance racing.
Each tire is tailored to the individual track and the weather conditions. Hence, it can cost between $350 to $500 per tire. Teams use 5 to 15 sets of tires over a race weekend and 36 races in a season. So the teams spend approximately $720,000 on tires per season.
How much does NASCAR Chassis cost?
In the past, NASCAR teams spent between $70,000 to $150,000 for a chassis. They would custom-build the chassis of their race cars. It depended on what an individual team could afford. But since the 2022 season, and the introduction of the Next Gen car, NASCAR made it mandatory for all the teams to use the same chassis.
It is made by a Michigan-based company called Technique Inc. Each chassis costs 28,000 dollars. Even teams with larger budgets must comply with this rule and would not have a competitive advantage over other teams.
How much do the NASCAR Maintenance and Replacement cost?
NASCAR teams usually allocate 10 percent of the total cost of the race car for maintenance and replacement parts alone. As the cars zoom around at high speed, there is a certain level of danger. The teams aim to keep their cars in top condition and have an amount set aside in case of an accident or a malfunction. The major components are expensive. For example, the cooling system of the car engine costs $7,000. And the brake system can cost approximately $30,000.
What is the cost of NASCAR Fuel and wrapping a car?
The fuel cost is around $40,000 to $50,000 per season. An average NASCAR race covers between 150 to 500 laps. The cars burn half a gallon of fuel per lap. As a result, teams tend to have large amounts of fuel for all the races. Now that’s settled, let’s move on to the wrapping costs.
It is noticed that NASCAR race cars have bright-colored bodies and sponsorship logos displayed. The teams go to lengths to feature their logos, and they add their partners and sponsors to their livery. Teams customize their race cars. Wrapping a car can cost them about $2,500 to $3,500.
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Sugantha Meena
(493 Articles Published)