DACONO -- With fuel costs soaring and sponsorship dollars shrinking, Colorado racers say only one bottom line makes sense this summer.

"I'm doing it just for the love of the sport," said Bruce Yackey, of Greeley, the Late Models points leader at Colorado National Speedway. "We're sure not doing this to make money. It's simply a hobby, just for fun."

Fuel costs have skyrocketed this year, and local race car drivers have had to tighten their seat belts to continue pursuing the hobby they love.

"I mean, a lot of people go camping, and that's expensive, too, but we just put all our money back into race cars," said Darrell Smith, a Super Stocks driver at CNS.

"Racing is my hunting, fishing, my honeymoon, our anniversary," said Joe James Jr., a Denver driver who races Late Models at CNS.

Drivers aren't the only ones having to sacrifice. Their families also are feeling the pinch.

Ronnie Hults, of Centennial, who drives in two divisions, recently had to help his sponsor cover a $9,000 repair bill on his Late Models race car.

"I had some money saved for a vacation fund," Hults said. "Well, we don't get a vacation now. I pretty much dipped into our Disneyland fund."

Though all costs are climbing, the biggest strain for drivers has come from rising fuel prices -- for racing fuel, and for gas and diesel to transport the race cars to and from the track.

At Colorado National Speedway, all drivers, except in Super Stocks, are required to purchase high-octane fuel from the track at $7.45 a gallon.

"Our cost of fuel has gone up $1.25 since the end of April," CNS track operator Scott Backman said.

Yackey said he spends $100 a week for racing fuel and $80 a week for diesel fuel to haul his car 40 miles from Greeley to Dacono.

Late Models average about 4.5 miles a gallon and use about eight to 10 gallons or more a night.

"One of my biggest accomplishments has been figuring how to race for 25 years," Yackey said. "That's just part of the sport, figuring out how to pay to do it. It's been that way since I started 25 years ago. You just have to stick with it and figure out how to make it work. Sure (drivers leave the sport), but that's been the case forever."

Pro Trucks driver Richard Burton, of Englewood, forks outs $140 or more to fill his hauler with diesel every other week for the trip to CNS.

Ricky Alvarado, of Delta, who occasionally races at I-76 Speedway, has had to trim his schedule in the five-state EQ Cylinder IMCA Wild West Modified Tour because of fuel costs.

Purses haven't increased at the same rate as costs. Late Models drivers could win $1,500 on a regular night and as much as $2,200 for a special 100-lap race at CNS. Pro Trucks winners get a check for $750 on a regular night and $1,000 for special races.

"I won the main (June 7) and only won $300 and had to buy four tires at $410," Smith said.

And sponsorship dollars are tight.

"It's getting harder to get good sponsors, especially right now because the economy is so bad," James said.

The fuel pinch extends beyond the track. Fans, especially at I-76 near Fort Morgan, are feeling the squeeze of gas prices of $4 a gallon or higher.

"We're definitely down in the grandstands on people," I-76 owner Butch Speicher said. "I'm thinking what's hurting the people in the grandstand, the people that have the entertainment money, they probably only have $40 or $50 a week to spend on entertainment and they are putting that in their gas tanks to go to work. So they are staying home and watching TV or doing something else."

Backman agrees the entertainment dollar is being stretched, but crowds at CNS haven't been affected.

"People aren't going on vacation, they're staying in town and spending their dollar in town," Backman said. "We're cheaper than going to the movies, and you get four or five hours of experience rather than an hour and a half."

What they're saying

Drivers and owners at Colorado National Speedway and I-76 Speedway talk about the rising cost of racing:

* Ronnie Hults, Centennial, CNS, Late Models: "It kind of makes it tough for all of us. Just to get to the racetrack every weekend costs me about $70 with the diesel pulling my truck. Then you have other expenses. It's something I've always wanted to do since I was a little kid. I grew up around race cars. It's just a way of life for me. There is no option. Some people go boating, some people go fishing. We go racing every weekend."

* Bruce Yackey, Greeley, CNS, Late Models: "It's real easy to spend a lot of money racing. The hardest thing is to figure out how not to spend so much money so you can keep doing it. The key to what I've done is that I haven't invested in buying race cars. I've invested in equipment to be able to do it myself. It's kept me in the sport for a long time."

* Joe James Jr., Denver, CNS, Late Models: "It's getting out of hand. Fuel, tires, chassis parts, motors, everything. It costs you between $800 and $1,000 a night (to race). It's going to be a rich man's sport, basically."

* Mike Warren, Gering, Neb., CNS, owner of the Late Models car driven by Rick Smith: "It requires two vehicles to get my racing operation to Colorado. The fuel just to get over there and back is $400 a week. The cheapest I can run a weekend at Colorado National is $1,200. You have to buy your tires and your fuel for the race car and then you have five people you have to get in there. Then you have five people you have to feed. We cook a lot of our meals in our trailer."

* Ricky Alvarado, Delta, I-76, Modifieds: "It's tough right now. I can't race as often, because we do like to travel. We went from traveling sometimes four times a month to just two now."

* Jeremy Frenier, Fort Morgan, I-76, Modifieds: "Everything's gone up. Race fuel has gone up. We run methanol, and it's actually doubled. We're paying $4 a gallon and we used to pay $2. And it burns twice as fast as gas. It's like paying $8 for gas. We're not traveling as far as we used to. We're racing at our local track."

* Larry Jackson, Northglenn, I-76, Modifieds: "Diesel fuel for my hauler went from $3-something a gallon to $4.60 a gallon. To take the truck and run up there, for fuel and to race, cost me about $170 a weekend, and if I make $60 to $80, the payout is not even worth it. But I just do it for the fun."

Respect is a two-way street

As a longtime racer, Scott Backman knew how he liked to be treated at the track.

So when Backman, 47, decided to accept an offer to become the new track operator of Colorado National Speedway, his priority was clear.

"We try to respect the racer and help the racer, and in turn we ask them to respect us," Backman said. "It's worked well."

Backman is receiving good marks from his former racing rivals.

"The attitude has flipped 180 degrees," Late Models points leader Bruce Yackey said. "We are actually enjoying going to the racetrack. It's just a pleasant atmosphere."

Backman, a Parker resident and Arapahoe High School graduate, grew up around racing with his dad and uncle at old Lakeside Speedway.

He had been driving for the past 23 years and in 2006 won the Late Models championship at CNS but decided the time was right for a change.

"We came in with the attitude that it's a team and not one person calling the shots," he said.

Team Backman's innovations include:

* Giving 10 tickets to drivers to distribute to people who never have visited CNS.

* Reducing the price to get into the pits for NASCAR members.

* Changing from timed qualifying to qualifying races.

* Focusing on completing the racing card by 9:30 p.m. so fans can venture into the pits to meet drivers.

"We are just trying to give back to the racers," Backman said. "We're trying to make them feel like we appreciate them, because without them, we can't put on races."

Along those lines, Backman has been doing something he learned from racing official Clem Droste.

"Every night after the races, I go to every driver's pit and thank them for coming," he said. "It just makes them feel appreciated and makes them feel that we care."

For the fans, Backman has introduced several special promotions to reduce ticket costs. CNS has attracted crowds of more than 10,000 in recent weeks.

"It's still one of the nicest facilities in the country, but we'd like to update the pits," Backman said. "There are lot of little things we want to do that are in the works and that will start to happen in the next couple of years."

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