Once u own race level gear its not about money:
-Chassis we can all have a pro car(keeping it tuned is key and clean)
-Radio 3PK is nice but not at all nessasary so any futaba FM radio is going to win national and club races.
-Charger yes the T35s are the shiat. But fact is you can still charge your batteries for club and national level with a quality lower priced charger(millenium,pulsar,quasar) The few times i made it to US CHAMPS in cleveland they guys came down with already charged batteries and only a few where peaking at the driver stand and they did it with small chargers not one t35 was to found in the ball room area.
-ESC locally i find it so funny that guys flip ESC about as often as motors. Going from one pro esc to the next generation of pro ESC is not a huge gain in performance. ITs probably not even 1-2% better.
RACING cost come down to batteries,motors and tires. For club racing it should not cost as much as most spend. Guys are siked out most of the time and spend more then nessasry..
At cleveland a few years back a friend of mine showed up with last years foams still on his 12th scale. He annually makes the A-main in stock 12th and touring and has won both championships. He got one fresh pack for the entire weekend along with his old tires and last years chassis and won. It comes down to something you cannot buy............. SKILLZZZZs