It's just a symptom of modern society, where everyone "is a winner" and nobody finishes 2nd place. For example there's some kids sports where they at lower than a certain age do not count or announce the score, in order to "not offend or upset" the losing kids.
So if you're not a winner in 1/8th buggy, you'll go and compete in another class where there is less competition, just so you can win something etc...
That's what I think about it. Some people reason like that.
Rather than have an ambition to better themselves, and think that "so what if I don't win, I'll give it a go", they just go to another class.
At my local track 1st to 6th spot is always filled up with sponsored drivers, team drivers, so I can pretty much forget about any of those spots, I don't care though, for me 7th = winning, to me. I pay for all my gear.