Everything contained in this FAQ section is courtesy of Bruce Sibel of TAMCO RACING Why should you buy a mini cup car? Mini Cup cars are inexpensive, easy to maintain, and fun to drive. What is the cost of the mini cup cars? Depending on what options you get on the car the prices on a new Townsend car can range from the $4,500 range up to $6,000+. Used cars can also be found. I purchased the #19 race ready for under $4,500. Is there a difference in mini cup cars? YES, there is a difference. Some mini cup cars have a rigid chassis (no suspension) and some have fully adjustable suspension (also known as super mini cup cars). I would recommend finding what series you were planning on running, obtain their rules, then shop for a car. Unfortunately the first car I bought had an offset chassis and could not be used in the Mascar North Series. The good thing was that the car was purchased from Stan Amditis of American Miniature Motorsports and he refunded my money (obvious signs of an honest businessman who has his heart set on pleasing his customers) What is the difference between a kart and a mini cup? Well I honestly don't know a heck of a lot about karts but when I was looking to get started in racing I looked at karts. The one thing that stuck in my mind from an experienced karter was "It's a fun sport and other then the occasional broken collar bones and arms it's pretty safe" Now I don't know about you, but at age 40 and supporting a family I can't afford a broken collar bone or arm. I like the fact that the mini cup cars have a completely enclosed fully welded chassis constructed of 1" round DOM tubing, aluminum safety seat, 5 point safety harness and numerous other safety features. Why is the cost of upkeep on my mini cup car so inexpensive? Some series of mini cup cars can get expensive. The good thing about the Mascar Series is the restrictions on maintaining a "stock" car. In this series you don't have to worry about the guy with the most money being the winner. Yes it is true that the guy with more money will be able to afford better tools and equipment but modified engines are not allowed. The guy (or gal) with the setup ability, driving skill and yes...luck will be the winner. Why do fans like the mini cup cars? The mini cup cars are big attractions of fans of all ages. The kids can relate to them because they are not intimidating. The adults like them because they look like a small Winston Cup car and they can relate to the body styles of that of their favorite NASCAR driver. Is there sponsorship money available in this series? Yes,when I first purchased the mini cup car I had no idea about how sponsorship on race cars worked. The funny thing was I had a business owner come to me and want to sponsor the car. I had no idea what to ask for and what I could provide for him. After a little research and negotiating I discovered that my new found hobby of mini cup car racing could end up costing me next to nothing. In most cases you will find that bartering with a construction or service company for sponsorship can work out to a win-win situation. Will the sponsor really get anything back for his or her sponsorship money? That will be up to you. My sponsor is a commercial and residential asphalt maintenance company. I enter local car shows, attend community events and sometimes just set the car outside on an open trailer in a heavily traveled area. The more people that tell my sponsor they saw the car with his name on it the better it is for both of us. Does the track do anything to promote sponsorship? Fortunately Mahoning Valley Speedway does. Many tracks do not. One of the things that impressed my sponsor the most was that Mahoning Valley Speedway included the mini cup cars in their weekly program and acknowledges that although the mini cup cars are turning laps 1 second slower then the street stocks the drivers in this class are racers and the cars are race cars. Speaking of lap speeds, just how fast do these cars go? Depending on the size of the track and the type of engine the speeds will vary. At Mahoning Valley on the 1/4 mile asphalt track lap times during last years pole day ranged from 13.45 sec. (approx. 65mph lap) to 14.77 sec. (approx. 61 mph). On larger tracks the cars will be able to hit higher speeds (100+ mph) with stock engine and with modified engines over 120 mph. How much maintenance is required on these cars? Expect to have to spend 4 to 5 hrs. to get the car ready for a race. (Of course if you suffer damage it will be longer then that) When I complete a race and return home with the car I will repack the front wheel bearings, lube all moving parts, wipe down and vacuum out the car, change the oil and spark plug, remove and service clutch, check all cables, clean and scrape the tires and check the torque on all bolts. Total cost=approx. $8.00 (not bad compared to the big guys and definitely cheaper then a night at the go-go bar) This is just a little car, how can it be like real racing? That's what I thought at first until I went out on the track for my first lap. It may be a small car but it is racing. Driving 70 mph 1-3/4 inches off the ground and inches away from another car is very real and very much racing How often does the engine have to be rebuilt? The engine will last a whole season and I know of people who are starting on a third season with the same engine without a rebuild. That is the main reason why I change the oil after every race. I hear all these stories of guys spending hundreds of dollars on tires for race cars, what can I expect to spend on tires for a mini cup car? You should be able to run a full season on a set of tires, unless you run every week with a real bad setup (in that case you will probably hit the wall before you eat up the tires) How would I go about buying a new mini cup car? If you are looking to buy a new mini cup car you can contact one of the Townsend dealers that cover your region or if you are looking for a used car you can browse through a local racing paper or check out some of the other sites listed in our link page