The Average Salary of a Race-Team Mechanic
You love NASCAR, but your dreams lie not in the driver's seat, but in the pit area. Being a race-team mechanic isn't much different from being a regular mechanic -- you've just got to do your job a lot faster and under pressure. Getting to be a professional race-team mechanic won't happen overnight, but the average salary can make the years spent working your way up well worth it.
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Getting Started
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To become a race car mechanic, you must first become a mechanic. However, a race car mechanic holds certain skills relevant to race car driving. This means working in racing, wherever you can find it. Mathew Conroy, a Formula BMW UK Championship mechanic, states that working on a go-kart racing pit crew can provide valuable entry-level experience for aspiring race-team mechanics.
Entry-Level Salaries
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You won't start out at NASCAR and it's unlikely anyone will pay you to work on go-kart racing. You might even have to volunteer for a friend's race team at the local track. Still, once you get onto a national team, the average salary at the entry level was about $23,000 per year in 2006, according to Conroy. Advancing up the chain relies on your ability to help the racing team win. The more successful the team, the faster your career will advance.
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Mid-Career Salaries
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Between lower-level racing circuits and NASCAR lie mid-level racing teams. Here you'll compete against other teams who've made it past the lowest levels and are trying to make it into the big time. Your salary increases based on performance, with bonuses for winning races and winning cups. Get noticed here and you'll move on to the big show: places like NASCAR and Formula One.
NASCAR Mechanics
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A February 2009 article in "Hot Rod" magazine stated that starting salaries for NASCAR mechanics range from $45,000 to $50,000. Engineers make around $100,000 with those with a strong performance record earning $150,000. Crew chiefs with a great track record -- such as winning the Nextel cup -- might earn $1 million per year.
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References
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