Do people get PAID to race in SCCA?

Question

how does SCCA work. and dont tell me to go to their website. i already did and learned nothing. just give me a summary.

and if so, how much?

Answer 1

For the most part, it is a car club, which means you pay to go racing. There are different ways to generate cash, but as a driver, only some of the top teams actually pay someone to drive their cars. The biggest portion of SCCA drivers own their own cars and pay their own way in racing, maybe with some sponsorship help.

Answer 2

There is award money involved in SCCA racing, though for most people, being able to consistently win or place on the podium will merely help cut costs as the money involved here would be nothing near what would be invested in racing.

But the real issue about cost and potential income would come down, ultimately, to the individual driver and where in the SCCA they are racing.  A top driver in one of the SCCA pro series will clearly be making money (otherwise they would simply go to another series were someone would pay them)... at the other end of the scale you have a new driver stepping out into a crowded Formula Vee or Spec Miata field.  While both of those series are very inexpensive in racing standards, and very competitive too, the driver could one day come close to recovering some expenses IF (big big IF), they become skilled enough and develop their car enough to move towards the front.

The key, as with all racing, is ultimately sponsorship.  In most amateur racing, this is still something to help defray costs, and not something that will cover them all... but when you consider the cost of "cheap" racing will still be $15-25k per year, getting someone to provide tires or entry fees or such can make a nice break.

But, if you can run at the front, and move up through the ranks (through the more expensive series), there is always a chance to get into a spot where the sponsorship money actually covers a little more than all of the costs, or where a pro level ride exists.