Great Post Josh, and it took a respected pro to make that comment for the guys to repsond positively. If a schmoe like me makes that comment, It just starts a barrage of posts that basically say "Step Up" to beat the fast guys in stock. Guys like Smyka, Cuffs, Lopez... like it or not, are the future National Champs in mod, but if they never step up, we will have a bunch of geezers trying to beat the young hotshoes from the rest of the world. After the Worlds, thier was alot of comments on why the USA totally got owned, well, maybe with some new talent coming up to mod, it will start to push the best in the USA to be faster. Don't get me wrong, you guys that pretty much rule mod racing in the US are all phenominal wheels, that , most of us will never be as fast as.
Personally, I think the stock/mod thing comes down to integrity, and the lure of winning/sponsorships has helped to lower the integrity of some people that really should just step up. Like Josh said, the Companies/ROAR really have to help to get this ship going back in the right direction.