CLUB RACING PHILOSOPHY

In club racing we are not doing this for a living, we are amateurs. However this doesn’t mean that we don’t take our sport very seriously. Every racer in the pits has their own reason for being there, and it’s fun being an amateur philosopher trying to figure out what makes your competitors tick.
Some racers have to win at any (and all) costs, and some only want to win if it’s done fair and square. Some racers don’t turn a single wrench on their own car, and some build it from scratch themselves. Some racers bring the whole family along, some bring their “entourage”, and some just come alone. Walk the pits on any club race weekend, and you will see all of these different racers.
Not only does each driver take on their own racing personality, so does each club. Some clubs are full of youthful testosterones wanting to become professional drivers, and some are full of gentlemanly camaraderie. Some clubs look like a Formula One event with big-rigs and caterers, and some are filled with old pickup trucks and backyard barbeques. Some club events are held at tracks used by professional series with grandstands and full garages in the pits, and some take place at old fairgrounds with grass and gravel infields.
Every club’s tech inspectors even operate on a slightly different philosophy. Some take on a czar-like mentality just looking for confrontation, and some take on a tutorial relationship while passing out tips of the trade. Some techs are forced to look for cheaters as well as safety infractions, while some just say “you’re the one driving it, you’re the one who should be concerned with safety”.
As a general statement, I have experienced more fellowship with vintage race groups than with non-vintage, and a little more give-no-quarter attitude with non-vintage than with vintage. But you will certainly find some of each at all club race weekends.
Personally, I enjoy the building aspect as much as the driving. And I would rather have a race-long battle for last place with an equally prepped car and driver, than have a run away win with no one in my mirror (not that I’ve ever had one of those). I will gladly loan my time, a tool, and a part to someone who is probably going to beat me because I would rather have them on the track than in the pits. Besides, it will probably be me needing a hand next time.

Some other’s philosophy on racing…
“We drove for the sheer fun of driving because there wasn’t that much money to be made.”
– Richard Petty
“Finishing races is important, but racing is more important. ”
– Dale Earnhardt
“I learned to approach racing like a game of billiards. If you bash the ball too hard, you get nowhere. As you handle the cue properly, you drive with more finesse. ”
– Juan Manuel Fangio
“Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports … all others are games.”
– Ernest Hemingway