Not debating that national engines are extremely high priced compared to the Badger formula for the additional speed you're getting. Same argument was made when the SESCO came out. Same argument was made when the "Offy Killer" started winning. Truth is, that same Badger K24 Honda is already being modified to compete as a "national" engine and will eventually be just as expensive. Who would have guessed that Chet Wilson's small block Chevy would eventually morph into a $100k+ Outlaw Sprint engine?

My original point was that racing has been about the same level of "expensive" through the generations when you compare apples-to-apples. To win (not just compete) at the USAC level today, you must buy a Speedway Toyota midget engine. The average Joe working an entry level warehousing/manufacturing job making $18.00/hr has to work about 4000 hours to buy that engine. To win in the 50's & early 60's in USAC midgets, you had to buy an Offy midget engine. Earning $1.25/hr, you had to work about the same 4000 hours to afford one. Gasoline to get to and from the track, one hour's wage would buy you about 4 gallons of gas in either era. The price tag is higher, but the relative cost to wages is about the same.

So crying about how tough it is to get in or stay in a race car today is not any different an argument than it was 3-4 generations ago. There may be brief moments where costs spike in either direction, but in general, it's the same. And very few are "making" money at it.