Buy a race car, Mister? Cheap!
“I’m squirreling them away for the future,” said McAnally, who could buy five almost-new 2007 Toyota Camrys for the price of one of his former Monte Carlos. “Next season, if we wreck a car, we can roll out a new one.”
In 2008, McAnally’s team is switching from Chevrolets to Toyotas, which made their Cup debut in 2007. His timing could not be better.
“We could always buy used cars from back East (at NASCAR’s North Carolina base), but these are practically brand new and real bargains,” said McAnally, who bought three from Bill Davis Racing plus six stripped-down Camrys from Michael Waltrip. “They’re beautiful race cars that have hardly been raced.”
Hendrick Motorsports estimated it had 60 Chevrolets it needed to unload. Roush Fenway Racing had 90 Fords in stock.
Some drivers want to keep a specific car for memories. Jimmie Johnson, who won the last two Nextel Cup titles, asked boss Rick Hendrick for the No. 48 Chevrolet Johnson drove in the season finale “for sentimental reasons.” And Kurt Busch is restoring one of his former favorites.
Owners also expect to keep a few of their big winners for racing museums and as show cars for special events.
Many of the Cup cars are destined for the ARCA (Automobile Racing Club of America) developmental series, too.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen to all our cars, but I can tell you one thing, you’ll see a (heck) of an ARCA series next year,” owner Ray Evernham said.
Clearance costly
The 2008 conversion to Cars of Tomorrow is costing Cup owners millions in inventory. Chevrolets that were worth $500,000 or more are now available at a tenth of that cost — or less. Most Cup cars (not including engines) cost at least $100,000 apiece to build.
Some race teams are offering bigger bargains. For example, Michael Waltrip Racing pulled usable parts from its 2007 Toyotas and sacrificed the bodies with chassis for as little as $5,000 each. Other teams discounted their race cars to under $20,000, less than the cost of comparable models on the showroom floor.
Race-used cars might have their decals. Unused cars are primer gray. These cars also can be made street legal — if the buyer can find high-octane fuel. Then, there’s the gas mileage (maybe 5 miles a gallon, tops).