Every once in a while we run across a news story that really makes us step back and say “wow.” This time we have KCRG out of Iowa to thank for shining a light on Brian Gade and his AIRS or American Iron Racing Series. Created as a way to honor his late father, who was a stock car racer, this could be an idea that spreads elsewhere.
The idea of AIRS is accessibility. Many vintage racing series involve almost priceless race cars, ensuring that only those with buckets of money, not only to afford the cars but also foot the bill for repairs from racing, can participate. Gade told KCRG the whole point of his vintage racing series is to make everything cheap, fun, and as low-tech as possible.
Everything stated when the man decided to recreate his father’s old 1961 Ford Fairlane racecar. After going through the process of finding a junked-out vehicle and building it to match what his dad drove back in the day, Gade realized how much fun it would be to get a group together and race old American stock cars.
Gade said what we’ve known for a long time, that the less tech there is in a vehicle, the cheaper it is and the more skilled the driver has to be. In other words, AIRS provides more of a challenge than other series out there, but it’s so inexpensive your average Joe can participate. We’re tired of seeing only the rich get to play on tracks, so this is great.
The track shows in KCRG’s broadcast looks like a dirt oval, the way NASCAR started in its early days before tickets became more expensive than a monthly car payment. What Gade is doing is bringing racing back to its roots where more people can participate and have fun. We need more of this.
