Stahl says that, in the days of homemade or junkyard parts, "you didn't have to have a big budget like you do now to run Late Models."
Pounds won't compete in all of the Carquest Series races this season because of money. He says the series doesn't have enough corporate backing to pay the purses needed to support travel and crew expenses, a top-notch car, and two competitive engines. "It only pays $5,000 to win the championship, and it only pays $1,200 to win a feature," he says.
Though he averages $20,000 to $22,000 annually in winnings, Pounds says it costs $80,000 to $100,000 to run the 20- to 22-race series. So he'll take a breather from chasing points to run 12 to 15 dirt Late Model "money shows."
Even those higher-paying shows don't always pay off for competitors. They often have a top-heavy scale, meaning the money falls off rapidly after the cars finishing in the top few positions.
Johnson knows there has to be an incentive to win or finish near the front, but he believes many drivers would like to see some money come off the top and be distributed throughout the purse.
Some tracks and tours have tried to cut costs for competitors by initiating rule changes, such as engine limitations. But that can contribute to another problem facing dirt Late Models-a lack of uniform rules.
For example, Johnson says some Midwest series have different rules on tires. "If a driver has to buy a set of tires to compete at a special event, and he only needs them for that one night, he's not going to spend the money to compete," says Johnson. That can leave some of the best local drivers on the sidelines when tours come to town.
While rules vary, Bland also is concerned that not all dirt Late Model superstars are under one umbrella. "There's been so many little organizations pop up all over the country, it's diluting the product," he says. "You've got too many people going in different directions."
Bland also complains that many dirt Late Model racetracks haven't changed in 30 years. "As the sport grows, and as we get more television exposure and more corporations get involved and want to do hospitality tents and things like that, the tracks that have updated their facilities are going to reap the rewards," he says.
Bland says few tracks have adequate lighting for television coverage of their events. "I'd love to televise every race that we have, but there's probably only 15 facilities in the country that have the proper lighting that we can do it."
And while we're speaking about racetracks, dirt Late Model driver Joe Kosiski says there are too many tracks for the number of spectators and, in some cases, competitors. "An average family cannot afford to go to three races on a weekend," Kosiski says. "When a guy makes $10 or $12 an hour, he clears about $300. He can't spend $200 on a weekend."
Finally, dirt tracks could often make a better effort to market themselves so they can attract more fans and corporate involvement.
Bland, a former employee of Penske Motorsports and International Speedway Corp., says he learned long ago about the power of corporate sponsorship and hospitality and how it grew NASCAR. But he has attended dirt Late Model events where there was no corporate involvement whatsoever.
"There was no signage, there was no display space," Bland says. "They basically just relied on the fans, and that was about it."
What's AheadKosiski believes there will be fewer tracks down the road. Track operators' costs have escalated, and racers on a budget will race closer to home.
He believes shorter tracks are most likely to survive. "To me, you can't beat the racing on a good three-eighths-mile racetrack. And the cars, when they wreck or hit, don't hit as hard."