| Business travel can be a grind, But for NASCAR | | | | Learjet is N8JR, and Jeff Gordon's Hawker is N24JG. |
| drivers and race teams who are on the road for 36 | | | | The corporate Embraer at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. is |
| races per year travel is unavoidable. | | | | N500DE. |
| If these teams had to rely on commercial airline | | | | NASCAR has come to rely on private jet travel so |
| schedules travel would be a nightmare, if not a | | | | much that many tracks are located right next to |
| logistical impossibility. That's why most of the top tier | | | | airports. Daytona International Speedway is located |
| drivers own private jets, and race teams operate | | | | right next to Daytona Beach International Airport |
| fleets of small aircraft to transport pit crew members | | | | where private jets and commercial flights arrive daily. |
| and team executives to the racetrack each week. | | | | While most tracks are not located so close to a |
| Dale Earnhardt, Jr. owns a LearJet 60, which is the | | | | major international airport, some tracks have built |
| top of the LearJet line, and their largest jet. It's a | | | | their own airports. Right next to Atlanta Motor |
| business jet that can seat up to 10 passengers. | | | | Speedway sits Tara Field, a small general aviation |
| Thanks to the jet Earnhardt can leave his home in | | | | airstrip that sees little traffic until race week, when |
| North Carolina and be at the racetrack in Daytona or | | | | more than 600 planes descend on this tiny airfield. |
| Texas a couple of hours later -- about the time it | | | | However, some tracks are not as convenient, but |
| would take to drive to a major airport and clear | | | | when that happens expect the NASCAR drivers to |
| security. | | | | come up with a solution. When NASCAR descends on |
| NASCAR rookie and former Formula One driver Juan | | | | a track like Dover Delaware some drivers like Dale |
| Pablo Montoya also owns a LearJet 60. 2006 | | | | Earnhardt bypass race traffic by flying from the |
| champion Jimmie Johnson owns a Learjet 31A, and | | | | airport to the racetrack in a chartered helicopter, |
| Jeff Gordon owns a British Aerospace Hawker 800. | | | | landing directly in he infield. |
| Most of the drivers leave the flying to professional | | | | Some people consider private air travel a luxury, but |
| pilots, but Mark Martin is a licensed pilot who often | | | | with the hectic schedule of today's drivers it is a |
| pilots his own Cessna Citation. Martin lives in a unique | | | | necessity. Following a Sunday afternoon race a driver |
| community near Daytona Beach called Spruce Creek. | | | | can hop on his jet and be home by Sunday night. |
| It's a fly in community with it's own airport. Residents | | | | This means they can meet with the crew chiefs and |
| have aircraft hangars in the yard where most of us | | | | team owners Monday morning to review the |
| have garages. Martin can literally park his jet in the | | | | previous race, and develop a strategy for the |
| garage. | | | | following race. During the week drivers are often on |
| The race teams operate larger planes to ferry the pit | | | | the jet again, meeting with sponsors, shooting TV |
| crews and team executives to the track. Roush | | | | commercials, making public appearances, and testing. |
| Racing operates a fleet of planes, including a Boeing | | | | Without a jet this schedule would be impossible. Most |
| 737 and several smaller business jets. Dale Earnhardt,, | | | | drivers agree that having a private jet gives them |
| Inc. flies it's pit crew on an Embraer 120, a mid-size | | | | one to two days per week of productive time, or |
| turbo-prop that seats 30 passengers. | | | | just allows an occasional day off. |
| While cars have vanity license plates, NASCAR teams | | | | You can see pictures of these jets at and get more |
| have vanity aircraft registration numbers. Dale Jr's | | | | detailed information on each airplane. |