Race Car Careers

Auto racing is not only an exciting sport, it's a large industry with many career paths. Most entry-level jobs in auto racing require a long work week and don't pay well. But for those who stick with it, a career in auto racing can be exciting and lead to more opportunities within the racing world.

  1. Driver

    • The driver is the most visible person on a racing team, and the highest paid, with top drivers in NASCAR, Indy Car, and Formula 1 earning upwards of $20 million dollars per year, as of 2010. Attaining this coveted position requires raw talent and hard work. Drivers typically have years of experience as amateur racers before turning pro. Only at the highest levels of racing are drivers paid a salary; many lower level pros work for a share of the winnings.

    Crew Member

    • Crew members on a racing team are responsible not only for the day-to-day maintenance of the race car, they have race-day duties as well. On race days, the crew prepares the car for the track and performs emergency repairs as needed. For crew members in touring series, days off are rare and travel is constant. Some teams travel as much as 40 weeks each year. Small teams may have five crew members, while larger teams may have as many as 50 crew members.

    Crew Chief

    • The crew chief is responsible for managing and directing the crew. In consultation with the driver, crew chiefs also make changes to a car's setup and plan race-day strategy. Crew chiefs typically move up from the ranks of the crew. Salaries for crew chiefs in top-level teams typically range from $100,000 per year to over $1 million dollars per year, as of 2010.

    Car Chief

    • The car chief is responsible for making sure a race car is properly prepared before it leaves the race shop. This includes making sure that the proper engine is installed, that the race car has the proper gear set, and giving the car a baseline setup.

    Fabricator

    • Fabricators use a variety of techniques (welding, machining, sheet metal work) to build complete race cars and repair damaged cars. Fabricators for larger teams are often specialized. Some work solely on the racing chassis, while others do bodywork. On smaller teams, fabricators typically handle all fabrication tasks, and may also have race-day duties.

      Additionally, there are many independent race car fabricators who build and repair race cars for hire. Pay for race car fabricators ranges from $20 to $40 dollars per hour, as of 2010.

    Engine Builder

    • Engine building is part science, part art. Engine builders are highly skilled, creative people. The top engine builders spend the majority of their time testing engines and figuring out how to get more horsepower out of race cars, while staying within the rules.

    Over-the-Wall Crew

    • The over-the-wall crew services a race car during pit stops. These duties include refueling the car and changing tires. This is a highly athletic endeavor---most top teams recruit over-the-wall crew members from the ranks of college athletes.

    Engineer

    • Top-level teams in professional racing series generally have one or more engineers on staff. Race engineers have a degree in automotive engineering or mechanical engineering. They spend much of their time on chassis and suspension design and testing.

    Support Staff

    • Large professional race teams have all types of positions: accountants, secretaries, truck drivers, inventory specialists, etc. The largest NASCAR teams have hundreds of employees, and many of those jobs aren't typical racing jobs.