How much money did Brandon Sheppard win this year altogether?

[ZERO25]

I'd say most don't own the hauler, Bayko.

And I bet very very few pay cash for one!

[chupp n bloomer fan]

Brandon

What a year. Didn’t think anyone would beat JD’s 2015 year, but I think overall they did.

Rocket definitely turns a profit. Just to be in that car and sold on new Rockets there are definitely companies giving them products. I’d say their main expense is the crew, Brandon, and hauler maintenance. I’d bet they got someone to cover hauler fuel too.

Guessing Brandon gets 30-50%. Gary Balough back in the day was getting 50% because he worked on the cars too. So I’d say Brandon is probably around 30-40%. Hopefully with Mark he gets some insurance, and is trying to build up a retirement on his own.

They are just a very well run team with a great crew.

[ZERO25]

Theres no doubt, Mark and Steve aren't doing all this work just for the fun of it

You better believe they turn a healthy profit on both parts of their business!

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Theres no doubt, Mark and Steve aren't doing all this work just for the fun of it

You better believe they turn a healthy profit on both parts of their business!

I'm sure they did in 2019. Race team make Bank in 2014? No way.

[dirty-white-boy]

No way you need $650,000 a year to run the lucas or woo series. I highly doubt someone like Dennis Erb Jr. is spending anywhere near $650,000 a year.

Maybe Rigsby will do a series on his site about the true costs of fielding a DLM team now that he claims he can say what he wants to. Remember that people cost money!

[dirty-white-boy]

I'd say most don't own the hauler, Bayko.

That is where guys like Petroff Towing, Reese and other come in. They buy and own assets.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Maybe Rigsby will do a series on his site about the true costs of fielding a DLM team now that he claims he can say what he wants to. Remember that people cost money!

Yes. A good crew chief can cost 100k or more.

[dirtcrazy4u]

Most crews guys make pennies and there's darn few crew chiefs making big dollars. Many drivers out there today make the calls on the car.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Most crews guys make pennies and there's darn few crew chiefs making big dollars. Many drivers out there today make the calls on the car.

The big money guys are the ones heading winning efforts.

[Crossbones]

The big money guys are the ones heading winning efforts.

The talented drivers are the ones heading the winning efforts.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

The talented drivers are the ones heading the winning efforts.

A talented driver in a car that's off does not win today.

[Crossbones]

A talented driver in a car that's off does not win today.

A talented driver isn't going to be in an off car for very long and won't need a $100,000 crew chief either.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

A talented driver isn't going to be in an off car for very long and won't need a $100,000 crew chief either.

Who's going to fix it? Madden and Bloomer seem to go ok on their own. There are guys out there who pay 6 figs and need to. That covers more than just making calls. Leading a crew and taking care of the business (stocking parts, handling product sponsor obligations, etc) is important and not a job for a $300/wk helper.

[Stefan2k4]

I agree with MasterSbilt_Racer here. This is big time dirt track racing we are talking about. If you want to win it costs money and little guys are never going to stand a chance against the teams who have the funding. Good people who know what they are doing don't come cheap. In fact, I'd say this has accounted for much of Bloomquist less than normal performance the past couple of years. I know he's been hurt this year and he's not quite fully recovered yet, but last year before he got injured, he probably should have won the lucas series championship, had he had a decent crew and crew chief. In Bloomquist case, I think, it's that he sometimes tries to bite off more than he can chew and do too much by himself. Remember the problems he had with his crew chief being in all sorts of trouble and controversy. Remember the mechanical and electrical issues he had with his car. Remember the times he showed up late and was driving the hauler himself. Clearly, he needed a good chief and a good team manager of some sort to manage all the other stuff, so that he could focus on doing what he does best, driving the car.

For a local saturday night weekend warrior, it might be a different story, but if you're going to follow the big show and race against the best of the best for the big money, you got to spend some money on good people. That's why I don't agree with all this rhetoric about dumbing down the cars to help the little guys compete. If the little guys can't afford to run with the big guys, they're never going to be competitive anyway. It doesn't matter what rules you change and what limits you impose. And modern motorsports is not a money making venture without big sponsorship involvement. That ship sailed decades ago. Instead of regulating the cars and dumbing down the sport, the focus needs to be on promotion, putting more fans in the stands, making the sport more exciting, and getting more exposure through things like more TV coverage, internet streaming, etc. Things like that will get more attention form sponsors and without sponsors there is simply no way to be profitable.

[JTB75]

I’m not sure if this has been talked about, but who gets the T shirt sales. I’ve heard of guys who have had bad seasons and the shirt sales made it possible to keep going