Nitro is alive and doing very well here in Northern CA. We have at least 8-10 tracks throughout the Valley that race consistently, and our race directors work well together to schedule non-conflicted race days. Lately there have been many more 1/8 scale electrics showing up, and SCT is growing in popularity as well. I'm sure the cost factor is having a profound effect on influencing which vehicle the newbees show up with, but so far there's plenty of room for all classes. Being an old-school 1/10 scale electric guy, the reason I switched to nitro was the scale realism, and I grew tired of having to constantly spend big $$$ to keep up with battery/motor/ESC tecnology to be competitive. Perhaps lipo has changed that for the better...time will tell. All I can say is there is just no substitute for the sound of a nitro engine and the smell of nitro fuel burning in the morning!!