An entire brushed/NIMH setup to be competitive when you start with nothing probably costs more than a competetive Brushless/LIPO setup from the beginning.
I bought all the brushed and nimh stuff last year and it ended up costing alot more than my lipo and brushless stuff I bought this year. To be competetive in brushed nimh you need new and good batteries often along with a good lathe and new motors more often than new batteries. Plus time on the track is great.
With lipo my battery lasts 3 races probably without recharging (the battery has been taped in my car for 5 races now never taken out). I also no longer spend time messing with my motor so I can at least kinda hang with faster people, rather I spent time setting up my car and practicing not spending money on new brushes and destroying my motors with my crappy lathe. Before I did not race sedan because it was so harsh on motors and I could not afford it, now its great because its so cheap and easy to maintain!