Some tracks across the country have either phased out Late Models or are looking to delete Late Models from their program altogether because of the costs associated with putting together a winning effort. That is a shame, because Late Model or Late Model Sportsman has been the cornerstone of weekly racing across the country for years.
Grassroots racing is not getting cheaper, and it's not even holding its own. In every division and in every series the cost of racing is going up-and it's going up beyond the cost of living. Every effort must be made by track promoters, race teams, and sanctioning bodies to contain the costs before fans are priced right out of their seats-and the "Saturday-night racer" is priced right out of the field.
Alan Middleton, a former Winston Cup team member, is founder and president of a Columbia, South Carolina-based public and government affairs consulting firm.