My Racer LOVES to race. He will try any track at least once just for the experience. When we first started out, he would compete for points at a single track but as the years went by and he tried a new track here and there, he realized he just loved racing somewhere new. There are so many great tracks out there and racing against drivers completely unknown to you is such a thrill. My Racer is currently competing in two different touring series that rotate between a few different tracks in New York and Pennsylvania. So far in 2016 he has also tried a track in North Carolina and one in Virginia. Again, we are a “homemade” race team without constant race cash flow, so how do we get the opportunity to travel to these races? Let me share some tips we use to help our race budget when traveling to different race tracks.

1. Save Fuel Points

Nowadays, it is pretty common for grocery stores and gas stations to have card loyalty programs where you can earn fuel discounts. For instance, our local grocery store gives you 10¢ off a gallon of gas for every $50 you spend. The earning period is usually 1-2 months before the fuel points expire. Think about your grocery budget, how much do you spend each month? When you receive your loyalty card, you are usually given some cards to put on your key ring, we have given one of ours to my parents. Since they are not really interested in the fuel point program, all of their grocery purchases combine with ours to add to our fuel point earnings. Is there anyone you can partner with to boost your fuel points? There are times when the earning period is extended or rewards doubled and I have filled up our Chevy Tahoe for 40¢!!! Our local gas station also has a fuel points program. My Racer and I both go there daily as part of our morning commute and the points add up fast because they offer “bonus points” for certain items, like my morning coffee. In the weeks leading up to a far away race, we save our fuel points to use when My Racer fills up, this can almost cut our hauling fuel costs in half!

2. Talk to the Race Promoter

My Racer will always contact the track or race promoter before he makes a travel trip. He is usually checking to make sure we fit into the track/race rules and trying to find out about what race tires can be run. If your family races, you know race tires can be a HUGE expense. Most tracks and promoters are thrilled to add to their event, the better the car count, the better the racing. My Racer will always build up a small rapport with the promoter and let them know we are coming from a far distance. This has allowed us to be informed early if weather is looking poor and there is a chance of cancellation so we don’t make a wasted trip. They have also offered to help with tires and race entry fees. One promoter even secured a carburetor for us to use for a special race! The best part of all these “relationships” is that going forward, they will reach out to us when they are planning a big race and invite us down and some have even passed our number on to other tracks. It is awesome when a track you have never been to, maybe never even heard of, calls you to invite you to a race because they have heard about your sportsmanship and love of racing!

3. Post on Social Media

My Racer has a Facebook page for our race team. He posts pictures, upcoming races, plugs our sponsors, and race recaps. When you are getting ready to travel to a race, break down your expenses instead of worrying about the lump sum and head over to social media for some help. There are many friends with businesses, friends of friends, and acquaintances that know about your race team who might want to help. While committing to a season-long sponsorship may seem daunting to some small businesses, helping fund a race trip is a tiny commitment that will still get their business name out there. Taking to social media with a post like “We are looking for some sponsor help for the $75 entry fee to our upcoming race…” or “Any business out there that would like to cover our $100 race fuel bill for X Race…” can really get the ball rolling and attract help. When you break the costs into pieces, it is easy to generate interest and help using social media, especially when you reciprocate by openly thanking, linking to, and liking their business page or website.

4. Be “Hotel Smart”

When traveling to race, you might be going quite a distance, and it may be in your favor to leave the night before. In other cases the race might go so late that you are better off crashing for the night instead of driving back home. In any case, let’s think about what you REALLY need from a hotel when you’re off racing. If you’re traveling at night, it is probably because you wouldn’t have enough hours in the morning to get there before the pit gates open, get in practice, mount tires, etc. This can leave you arriving super late at night and leaving before checkout to get some breakfast before heading to the track. The same is true for late nights at the track, you need somewhere to crash for a few hours before you make the long trek home. So what are you really looking for in a hotel during times like these? Answer: Not much. Just somewhere clean, relatively close to the track, and hopefully, safe. You don’t care about hotel amenities, you won’t be there long enough to use them. You don’t care what the rooms are like as long as there is room for you and your crew to crash. We aren’t looking for luxury folks, we’re looking for beds, we don’t care if the concierge was unhelpful, like Jen S. on TripAdvisor said, can they give me my room key? Boom, magic, we’re good. While a vacation room cost of $55/night will send up red flags for you and your family, think about what you really need this room for and where it is, the price is probably right on par for race travel. Now obviously if you’re staying a few days for a multi-race show or something, you’re looking for a little more in a hotel but most races are one day/night only then it’s back to the real world. When selecting a hotel we look around the track and if it is for the night of the race we will even look out a little farther as long as it is towards home. I use eBates when booking so I can get some cash back, along with whatever perks the travel website gives us. We also have a credit card that we use specifically for race travel where we earn cash back rewards that can even be redeemed as payment on our balance. Those are perk 3 deals in one transaction!

There you have it, the top 4 ways we save when we are traveling to a race. What ways do you save when gearing up for a race trip? Is there something you wish you could save on? Let me know and I’ll see if I can find a way!!