I'm glad to see brushless motors and Lithium-Ion batteries coming to the mainstream. It will make what was already a much simpler class to run than gas even easier.
I speak from experience, too. I ran electric off-road for 18 years before being forced into running gas off-road last year if I wanted to keep racing. While gas is fun in its ways, it's murderously expensive and requires WAY more time to keep maintained than an electric car. I feel bad for first time RC car owners who have chosen the gas route. It's freakin hard to do!
Brushless and Li-Ion should be a very good way to bring novices into the sport even easier than in the past with brushed motors and NiMH batteries. I think you'll start seeing some gas heads going back to electric as well in the not-too-distant future.
There needs to be some direction (and agreement) from ROAR, RC Pro Series and the local tracks as to what technologies will be allowed and in what classes so that people have a framework for making their equipment and racing choices, but once that's in place, I think you'll see a (slow) re-birth of electric.