You should also look at how the number of teams has dwindled over the past year. Travis Carter had to park his two-car operation early this season after sponsor K-Mart entered bankruptcy; Melling Racing and owner Mark Melling, players in the game for 20 years, had to pull out of Winston Cup after failing to land a sponsor for this season; and Andy Petree, unable to find a sponsor for one of his cars, had to trim his team in half. It's a really tough business climate right now, especially for a newcomer.
Now, about that fortune you're looking to invest. Why not forget this racing deal and spend part of it on three dozen good frontstretch tickets and a motorcoach? You won't even need a sponsor.
Car
* A race-ready car will cost from $150,000 up to $200,000.
Driver
* Drivers typically earn a base salary, from $500,000 to over $1 million, and a 30- to 50-percent cut of race winnings.
Bus/Luxury Coach
* Depending on amenities, a luxury coach is all over the scale price-wise, from $200,000 to over $1 million.
Engines
* Engine leasing program: Approximately $2 million per year* Single engine: $75,000-$80,000
Transporter
* A transporter for your race car and equipment represents an investment of $350,000.
Engineers/Mechanics/Fabricators
* Skilled labor ranges from $50,000 to $75,000 for general mechanics, up to $150,000 for engineers.