Was like you wanting to try Stock but did not know much about it.
The way it unfolded could be unique I started by hanging around the pits asking a few questions and friends introducing me to theirs who ran stock for many years. Through work and my engine builder met a well know stock racer and we hit it off. After about a year, while bracket racing and driving pretty good he offered me a ride which I took advantage of for a couple of years. Was a great learning experience from several standpoints to say the least it opened doors.
When that ended went back to bracket racing and began looking at the guide and deciding what I wanted to do. Got a lot of good advice from seasoned stock racers to buy an existing car but liking things my way and having some ideas that would more than likely not be incorporated in an existing car in my price range decided to build a car from scratch. It took 5 years to get to the track mostly because some of my ideas being the less glorious dirty work you would pay thousands of dollars for others to do and well sometimes I just did not feel like setting my coveralls on fire and getting dirt in my eyes!
The effort was to get the car to the track be happy with what it would run and just race which I did and was somewhat successful.
At the time the chassis I picked if an existing stocker would have cost 20-25K for for pretty much what I ended up with from a performance standpoint without some of the dirty work which would have ended up doing later and spent more money. As predicted the cost of the scratch built car was higher but having had the opportunity to race stock and meet everyone gained valuable information on what was necessary, the best advise was if your going to buy a part purchase what you would ultimately need not just what will work and figure you'll buy the good stuff later just buy the best you can afford once. Had between 30-35K in the car when it hit the track did not have the best engine and transmission but felt the chassis was very good my focus on the build.
Came out in 2009 and ran under the index after some on track tuning and experience with it ran well under. Picked the combo because not many were running it but in the five years it took to get out others had switched and got it some horsepower.
The class I ran it in was ans is not very populated but the way things were working out it became obvious was lining up for heads ups second and third round could not win and got my head handed to me trying to play the ladder a little so either had to make the best of it or step up the program. But the car was killer consistent and went rounds!
What makes stock and super stock so great is the racers a few who became friends watched me flog the car front to back race after race trying to improve it. Resisting updating the engine as it was a quality piece that though not fast could go 300 runs and was killer consistent. Decided to buy a lightweight transmission but no improvement, these same fellas told me I was short on horsepower and no matter how much more the car was flogged there would be not much to gain.
Had a decision to make in being happy with what I had or "open my wallet".
