It's a novel concept that can pay dividends to a race program: A racer can change the look of a car in an afternoon or design a radical graphics package that can be applied over and over again if the car gets damaged in a crash. Or, in the matter of a few hours, the look of a car can be completely changed if a new sponsor comes aboard.
The fact that you can keep your car looking like it just rolled out of a custom paint shop for a relatively low price is an amazing proposition. For several years, racers at the highest levels have possessed the ability to wrap their cars with a giant vinyl decal printed to look just like a painted car. While this is a cool option, until recently the cost of wrapping a car could easily reach over $8,000.
For those of you racing on dirt, another real advantage is that the vinyl wraps seem to help repel mud. This can be a real timesaver when you are trying to keep the car clean. Another real advantage is that when a small area of the car becomes damaged the vinyl wrap can be repaired, creating a look that seems as if the damage never happened.
What does it cost to wrap a car? Depending on the type of car and the complexity of the graphics package, the cost can vary between $500 and $1,000, including installation.
I talked to Chuck Kuehl, one of the local hotshoes in the Modified class here in Arizona, and he informed me that he was getting the right side of his car redone. So I decided that it was time for a better education on my part. Later I found myself at BRT Signs getting ready to watch and learn just how this wrapping is accomplished on a Saturday night racer.
The whole process is something that every racer should think about doing. It does not require the investment in specialized infrastructure that painting requires. A number of shops across the country do this type of work. It is as simple as asking around at the track for the names of people in your area who do. If you have an idea for a graphic design for your car, then a well equipped graphic designer can make it happen for you. You may even save money by wrapping the car yourself.
The author can be reached at: Vahok.Hill@cox.net