Average Cost of Going to Nascar Racing Schools

If you are interested in attending one of the many NASCAR racing schools around the country, whether it's to simply improve your basic driving skills or to learn advanced techniques used in professional NASCAR races, you'll probably be shopping around for course rates that fit within your budget. So, knowing what the average cost of various types of courses at NASCAR racing schools can help you make a better decision about which type of NASCAR racing course is best for you. Generally speaking, the amount that you pay for a NASCAR racing school will depend upon the length of time you spend in the classroom and on the track.

Short Ride Courses

Many NASCAR racing schools offer short ride courses as an introduction to NASCAR racing. These types of courses you usually involve the student only riding as a passenger in a NASCAR stock car or pace car. These short rides usually last between 5 and 15 laps around a major NASCAR track. The average cost for this type of courses between $120 and $250.

Half Day Courses

Half-day courses at most NASCAR racing schools are designed to give a student driver at the chance to experience firsthand a real NASCAR stock car as a passenger and then allow the student driver to actually take the wheel of a NASCAR racing car for a specified number of laps. Because student drivers are actually allowed to drive the NASCAR stock cars on the track, students are required to receive classroom instruction before driving the vehicles.

For these types of basic intro dream driving courses, students are required to spend between 30 minutes and two hours receiving classroom instruction. In the classroom, students are taught basic driving methods and procedures used in driving cars at high speeds. Afterwards, the student rides with a professional driver for 5 to 10 laps, and then is able to drive the car at progressively faster speeds for about 20 or 30 laps. Half-day courses at NASCAR schools average between $400 and $800 per student.

Whole Day Courses

Full day or whole day courses taught at NASCAR racing schools are very similar to half-day courses—except they usually provide for much more driving time on a NASCAR track. Also, most of these courses offer an hour or two of additional classroom instruction about advanced driving techniques, such as how to properly pass the vehicle and how to use drafting techniques to conserve fuel. Typically, full-day courses offer between 30 and 50 laps of track time and cost between $1000 and $2000.

Two and Three Day Courses

Many NASCAR racing schools also offer multiple day courses for two or three days. These are the most comprehensive type of courses provided at most schools and are designed to help student drivers learn basic and advanced procedures needed to qualify for racing car driver certification from organizations like NASCAR and the NHRA. Two and three-day courses offer the most amount of time on the track, and often allow drivers to drive between 100 and 200 laps to better hone their driving skills. These types of courses are the most expensive offered and generally range in price from about $2400 up to about $5000.