The sad thing is the tire bills don't have to be this high. A certain sanctioning body gets a kickback on tire sales. The same molds are used to make road racing tires that handle multiple heat cycles much better at a slight reduction in top speed. Changing the compound could make tires last more than one night but the sanctioning body's income would plummet.
It makes no sense that a 2300 pound road racing sedan can go 100 miles or more on a set of tires and a 950 pound midget is out of traction after 15 miles.