Typically, tracks and series sell lap sponsorships for races, but Jacob Gustafson sold laps for his sport compact team. That helped him travel from Webster, New York, to the Winter Warm-Up at the Freedom Factory in Bradenton, Florida, this past February.
“It was $20 a lap,” said Jacob, 21. “A couple of people bought more than a lap, which was generous.”
Those who purchased a lap found their names within the pinstriping of the race car. In total, the team, JFG Motorsports, sold close to $900 of laps and additional sponsorships to fuel their longest haul yet. JFG Motorsports consists primarily of Jacob and his lead wrench, his father, Greg. The elder Gustafson was initially reluctant to ask for help from their fans.
“I didn’t want to seem like we were begging,” Greg said. “But, a friend of mine told me, ‘You guys go to a lot of places and do a lot of things. People want to be a part of that. [Buying laps] is a good way for people to be a part of it.’”
Despite competing in a class some deem “entry-level,” Jacob Gustafson has raced at tracks that many dream of just turning a lap at. Bristol Motor Speedway. Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Richmond Raceway. However, the Gustafsons travel primarily due to another reason.
“We started out in the four-cylinders and we wanted to make our car go faster,” said Jacob of his 1996 Honda Prelude. “The only places where we could run [a modified four-cylinder, front-wheel-drive car] was out in the Midwest.”
The Gustafsons stuck with the class because they loved it.
“We enjoy the culture of the front-wheel-drives,” Greg said. “You have to be creative with these cars to do what you want them to do. We take a car that’s meant to drive straight down the road and we make it want to turn left. When you have success … it’s a big accomplishment.”
Jacob Gustafson won the 2020 National Compact Touring Series championship and the 2019 Race of Champions Four-Cylinder Dash Series title. While the Gustafsons love the sport compacts, they recognize that rear-wheel-drive race cars typically headline oval-track racing. For this season, Jacob will also race a street stock at Lancaster Speedway in New York and a car in the New York Super Stocks Race Series.
“Even though the four-cylinders are a lot of fun to drive,” said Jacob, “the next ranks up — the late models, the modifieds — are rear-wheel-drive, eight-cylinder cars. I feel that’s where we need to have our mindset for the future.”
The Outside Groove Executive Editor has covered motorsports since 2000. His many awards include the 2019 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Jim Hunter Writer of the Year and the 2013 Russ Catlin Award for Excellence in Motorsports Journalism.
