BUTLER TWP — Think gas prices are out of hand?

Dave Murdick and other dirt track race drivers are feeling more than double your pain.

Dave Murdick, 49, a member of the longtime Murdick racing family of Butler, has been in the racing game for 33 years. He's won four track championships, including two at Lernerville Speedway, and more than 30 career features in the Modified division.

Despite that success, he feels the financial pinch of driving a race car far more than the average everyday driver.

“Five years ago, racing fuel cost maybe five or six bucks a gallon,” Murdick recalled. “Now it's up to $9.50 and that's an increase of at least 50 cents over last year.

“We probably spend between $30,000 and $40,000 a year just to get through the racing season.”

A good motor in a regular street automobile can last more than 150,000 miles. A good motor in a Modified race car may cost $40,000 — a price higher than many fully-equipped automobiles. And that motor may last all of one night.

“One bad wreck is all it takes. The thing could be gone like that,” Murdick said. “Anything can happen out on that track.

“It's all part of the game. When you're driving down the road, the last thing you're thinking about is coming into contact with another car.

“In racing, contact is expected. It's going to happen. Still, every year, it hurts when I get that first dent.”

So what keeps a guy involved in such a sport for more than three decades? Murdick's father, Carl, is well into his fourth decade as a Modified racer.

“It's addicting,” Murdick said, shrugging his shoulders. “It's such a rush. You get hooked on it.”

Bob Kranz, a member of Murdick's eight-man crew, has a different take.

“I can play with this car or I can go down to the bar,” he said. “I choose to play with this.”

Murdick admitted that when he's going through dry spells or rough luck on the track, “the sport can get a little frustrating and you start to question what you're doing.

“When you're going good, it's a lot easier to cope with the stress of the season. I try not to sweat the small stuff in racing,” he added.

Bottom line: Race cars aren't expected to last, from the tires on up. However, automobile dealerships use longevity as a selling point for regular street vehicles.

“Race tires can wear out in a night. Some tracks are that abrasive,” Murdick said. “We probably go through 20 sets of tires in a season.

“The frames of race cars aren't made to last on dirt tracks. They get stone-chipped to death, even if you never hit another car. These frames are made to wear out.

“Buy a new frame, it's beautiful. After 60 nights on the track, it's junk.”

It's not that Murdick is inexperienced at keeping a street car on the road. His 2006 Volkswagen Jetta has 261,000 miles on it.

“I put 50,000 miles on it in the past year,” Murdick said. “I do a lot of driving for my job.

“It's a commitment to keep any vehicle going for the long haul. I've experienced it in racing and on the road.”

Here is a comparison of the cost of keeping your everyday driver and a Modified dirt track race car running. Figures are estimated:<b>FuelStreet car</b> — $4 per gallon<b>Modified</b> — $9.50 per gallon<b>TiresStreet car</b> — $80 per tire, changed every 30,000 to 40,000 miles<b>Modified</b> — $180 per tire, changed 20 times during race season<b>MotorStreet car</b> — Changed after 100,000 miles<b>Modified</b> — Changed after 1,200 miles; 2,500 laps<b>OilStreet car</b> — Changed after 5,000 miles<b>Modified</b> — Changed after six races; about 100 miles<b>ShocksStreet car</b> — Last indefinitely<b>Modified</b> — Changed after 12 racing nights