Once again, we're not getting the full "causal" picture, here. It costs no more to build the very best, very fastest 1998 Whatever to run Nationals than it does to build the same car for Regionals. What changes is the definition of "fastest."
In 1986, I won an ITC regional championship with a stock 1.4 Alliance with OTS Konis, soft springs, and aftermarket bars. I was arguably the "fastest" ITC car in the Northwest, or at least the most consistently fast of the four or five C cars out there at that time. Put that into a different context, with more competition, and what changes is NOT the cost of preparing a car to any given level. What changes is the MOTIVATION to prepare to a level higher, at greater expense, than the racers you want to beat.
I hate to be indelicate but often times, when people complain that costs are going up, they are really complaining that the cost has gone up of maintaining whatever level of competitiveness fits their individual goals. The problem is that, when the guys/gals up front get more serious, spend more money, and gain time at the margin, the effect trickles down through the field...
Racer Rick used to be able to keep the front three pretty much in sight. When someone broke, he could end up on the podium. He had achieved his equilibrium, balancing budget and competitive goals. Rick was happy. He was spending $X per year on his racing, while the Three Fast Dudes were spending $1.2X on theirs. When five new racers came into his class because it was (gaining popularity due to whatever influence - prize money, status, contingenc dough, babe magnetism) and decided to outspend the three drivers who consistently beat Rick, he got relegated to duking it out for 8th. Worse, the previous Three Fast Dudes, long used to being able to fight for the podium for $1.2X had to step up and spend $1.8X to stay in the hunt. They got faster Rick is even more miserable.
There are a lot of variations of Rick.
There's Participant Paul, who just wants to be out there and is happy to circulate around off the pace. He's resigned to always being a backmarker, is terribly constrained by money, and doesn't really effect the dynamics of competition.
There's Super Star Steph, who's the next female Indy phenom, whose dad is willing to spend whatever it takes to be sure that she's in front. She helps establish what it takes to stay at the bleeding edge.
There's Victor Visa, who's willing to max out his cards to stay in the lead pack, but won't be there next year when the bills come due. He contributes to the cost-of-competition bloat up front, until he blows out - and gets replaced by Mastercard Mike, who does the same thing.
National Nate cares about NOTHING besides getting to the big show. He'll spend only as much as necessary to "qualify" to go to the RubOffs, and picked his class because the participation numbers are so low, he pretty much can't NOT earn the chance to spend his whole budget on one race.
Whatever Willie only cares nothing about points and only wants to race at one track close to his house, so having a National-eligible car lets him into the big Double there, giving him more tracktime wihtout traveling.
Everyone's got their reasons for playing and their budgetary thresholds of pain. When a class gets MORE POPULAR, supply and demand for the commodity of speed change. It has nothing to do directly with what its called or what the rules are.
K
as long as Greg's cute little small red egg doesnt have too much new top secret rocket science in it!