Nostalgia top fuel dragster at the 2010 March Meet at Famoso Raceway.

An interesting discussion on the per-lap cost of running a nostalgia AA Fuel Dragster popped up on the AAFD and Nitronic Research Facebook pages recently. Estimates and real-world answers in the comments ranged from $1,000 a pass all the way up to $7,000. One racer who competes year-round on both coasts said his receipts totaled $790,000 for one season. Another racer summed it perfectly by stating: “More than my wife knows about.”

‘Forever Young’ shutting down after a run that basically cost $1,800 when seasonal expenditures are averaged out.

EngineLabs was curious about how much of that money is directly related to the engine. Fortunately, one of the racers submitted a breakdown, and we followed up to ask a few more questions.

“I’ve been running a long time and I just had the best year ever financially,” says Mike Fuller, owner of the “Forever Young” nostalgia top fuel dragster (see the videos below for action on the track). “We didn’t hurt or break anything. And when you run Top Fuel you have one of those seasons about once every 10 or 20 years.”

With that in mind, Fuller says he spent just over $42,000 over the year to make 21 runs at six races, most of which were close to his Northern California home. Of that total, $22,218 was spent on the engine and tires.

“Basically the perishable items,” explains Fuller. “Stuff you have to use every run, no matter what happens.”

The remainder was needed just to get to the track. Subtract $5,000 in winnings, and math breaks down to just under $1,800 every time his driver took a green light.

No, that’s not Fuller’s car losing a blower belt. It came from the dragster in the opposing lane.

Where are the costs for nostalgia racers?

Fuller’s bookkeeping was earlier offered to race officials as part of a industry discussion studying the cost of running in nostalgia series.

Here’s Fuller’s cost breakdown for last season.

“They keep wanting to build more economical cars,” says Fuller. “Spending $75,000 or $100,000 to build the car isn’t a big deal. The big deal is trying to run the car.”

Fuller says the seasonal total doesn’t include money he spends on shop rent, utilities, upkeep on the tow rig and labor. In fact, very few if any of the crew members and drivers are paid — a practice common in nostalgia racing where the all-volunteer crews are happy if their hotel and meals are paid and they get a couple beers and T-shirt.

“Oh, yeah, I didn’t put any of the beer down on those totals,” quips Fuller.

Action in the pits at nostalgia drag race.

But all joking aside, it takes a crew of eight to get a nostalgia dragster through a weekend. (For more on this sport, check out aafd.tv.) From the start, a full run with warmup, burnout and race will consume 10 to 11 gallons of nitro, which now costs $850 a drum. Every run also chews up eight spark plugs and contaminates 14 quarts of oil. Just like in NHRA Top Fuel, the engines are disassembled after the race and crucial components are swapped in. Fuller will install freshened pistons and rods after each run and check vital components. The previous pistons and rods will be checked and reconditioned as needed before going back in another time. A crankshaft can last about 50 runs, says Fuller, so he prorated that cost over a season at $1,000. A new set of aluminum rods is $1,000, and a new set of pistons is $800. Fuller made it through the season with only two sets of valve springs.

“Yeah, we turn the engine to 9,700 or so, and with the PAC springs it hasn’t been an issue,” says Fuller. “I can get around 20 runs on a set of rods. The big guys in NHRA get two or three, and they also resleeve the block just about every run.”

More nostalgia action from Bakersfield.

Going by the rulebook

Nostalgia racing rules are designed to help limit costs and maintain safety. While a NHRA Top Fuel engine is fed with a fire-hose-like 80 gallons per minute, nostalgia fuelers are limited to 20 GPM. This keeps the power levels down around 3,000 horsepower while still enjoying the durability of some parts designed for 8,000 horsepower. Nostalgia dragsters are also restricted to a 3.90:1 rear gear, a 3-disc clutch and no transmission. Finally, no component on the car can be controlled during the run with hydraulics, pneumatics or electronics — including ignition timing and clutch engagement.

Fuel and clutch discs make up a big part of any fuel dragster’s budget.

Fuller builds his own engines, starting with a Rodek block and adding Chrysler 392-style heads from Alan Johnson. He designed his own fuel system, utilizing an approved Rage fuel pump. Nostalgia dragsters can’t have a supercharger larger than a 6-71 GMC-style blower. Fuller often has three different models from which to run during a weekend, including a Kobelco, PSI and SSI.

Fuller estimates his operation is worth around $500,000 with $300,000 in the tow rig and a $200,000 in the car and spare parts. That’s not including the shop.

“I also have my own mills and lathes and I do most of the machine work myself,” says Fuller. “We can do the chassis and body maintenance. The only thing we farm out is a burned cylinder head. Then we have to send it to Alan Johnson for repairs. But if you had to farm out any machine work, then you’d have to double some of the costs.”

Which leads us to perhaps the best summation of this topic from the Facebook discussion when one contributor simply analyzed that the cost is the “same as as it always has been — all that you have!”