It is now possible to purchase a lightweight aluminum floor jack for a price that ranges from $80 to $199. We can buy a 1,500-pound rated, rolling aluminum floor jack that is a perfect fit for the Saturday night racer.
Now, these jacks don't have the same quality as the specialty racing jacks, but they seem to fill the needs of the Saturday night racer. I have been using one in my shop for the past year with no issues at all. In fact, the racers at the track have been telling me the same thing.
A review of the pits at the local speedway will yield a good number of these lightweight jacks that have already found a home. This supports the concept that the racer can purchase a floor jack that will fill a need and not break the budget. Do not try to jack up a fully loaded race car trailer and change a flat tire, however, because it's not going to happen. But if you need to jack up the front, back, or side of your stock car, they work great.
Where are these jacks available? They can be purchased from many online racing parts vendors. Many of the local auto parts houses around the country sell them as well. For example, Harbor Freight sells a line of aluminum racing jacks.
If you want to get pumped up and carry around a 50- to 60-pound floor jack, you can purchase an all-steel version for about $59. For just a few dollars more you can get a jack that is lighter, easier to move around, and easier on your back.
This aluminum jack can also be purchased for less than $200. It is light and seems to be working well on a hard, packed dirt surface. | 
This aluminum jack is being used on a Dirt Late Model. For the Saturday night racer, this family of low-cost aluminum jacks seems to work quite well. They are sturdy enough to put up with the harsh environment that the racer has to deal with on a weekly basis, and the cost is low enough to not put a large dent in the tooling budget. | 
The uses of floor jacks are limited only by the imagination of the racers who use them. They are a critical part of the tools used to tune the car at the track and work on the car away from the track. A good floor jack should be considered an essential tool for every racer who drives into the pits. |