So, you wanna race?

There are countless times I've been asked by readers, who also happen to be potential drivers, just how they can get into NASCAR. Well, I think I have finally come up with the proper answers.

	Tim Packman

First, and absolutely foremost, every time you win a go-kart, bicycle, motocross or quarter midget race, put the money aside. No matter how little it may be, put in the bank.

Why? Because no matter how talented you are, if you don't have the money to race -- you won't. There are some very talented drivers sitting in the grandstands right now because they don't have the sponsor dough to make the car go.

On the other hand, a so-so driver is in the seat because he had more money than the other guy did.

Here's a mythical, but probably factual, conversation between a contracted engine builder and driver.

Driver: "Something isn't right, I keep hitting all my marks and steering the car like I was told. But, it just doesn't seem to be going fast enough.

Contracted Builder: "Hmm, don't know what it could be."

Driver: "Man, I really need a good run. What would it take to go faster so I could do better?

Builder: "How much money do you have?"

To be successful, you'll also need really thick skin. Fans will boo you for being you, for spinning out their driver or just because...well, just because.

Then there's the art of dealing with owners who might not talk to you about things when the team isn't doing well. But, you can always use your "good friend" the media to aid in your cause.

Marty Smith, my counterpart here at NASCAR.com, told you how Stacy Compton received a letter from A.J. Foyt last week. In the letter, it informed Compton he was no longer needed to drive the No. 14 Pontiac team.

Now, that had to smart a little bit for Compton.

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Ricky Rudd seems to be getting daily stories written regarding where he will actually drive next year -- if at all. From what I've read, he and owner Robert Yates haven't been attending cookouts at each other's house lately, so to speak.

"There's not really that much to say," Yates said. "I can sit here and tell you stuff all day long, but people are going to assume what they want to. He knows his side very well and I know my side well, and there's not a lot of difference.

"There's really nothing to be upset or mad about."

Nice to know that Robert feels that way -- Ricky apparently doesn't.

"The things I get tired of reading is all the (distractions) that's been said about this race team," Rudd said at Indy. "All Robert's got to do is keep his mouth shut and let us go out there and run this race team and try to win him a championship."

Well, now it's much clearer than it was a week ago. I've been affectionately calling his drama, "As the Rudd Rolls" while we await his final decision.

To be a successful racer, you also need to be able to rattle off sponsors like a teacher does roll call. No matter how mad you are that someone spun you out or put you into the wall, it's all "happy time" when the media guys show up to ask questions.

I say, get pissed off and tell it like it is. Fans are done with the vanilla, boring stuff. Try letting yourself go -- within reason -- and you'll see the fans lining up to shake your hand.

In other words, don't be afraid to be yourself.

Sponsorship woes can be your biggest problem at the NASCAR level. This week, I watched sponsorship leave one Craftsman Truck Series team and jump to another in a week's time. While it was good for the one, it could very well be the end of the other one.

In the Indianapolis Star this weekend, I noticed an article talking about how NASCAR mixes marketing and family ties to attract fans. In the article, it quotes a father and son talking about racing and why they like it so much.

The nine-year-old son currently races quarter midgets in Terry Haute, Ind.

"I think it's a lot more about family participants," the dad said. "I think it's the way they (drivers) behave. It's not all about the money like basketball or football."

If you're a driver and have your eye on NASCAR; save your money, practice your speeches and work on your interpersonal skills. Do all that while honing your racing skills, as well.

After all, once you show up with all that -- you still have to drive the car. That is what racing is about, right?

Tim Packman's column appears every Saturday on NASCAR.com. The opinions listed here are solely those of the writer.