Kevin, I agree with ya,
I race with Speed in our FLorida State Series, and Stock is more expensive to compete then mod. 19t and Mod both have spec tires, Stock does not, We have factory guys that race with us, and if you want to step up, ya gotta be on the top of the game. That means cutting every run, tire combo's batts.. blah blah blah..
Not that at the club level, we dont have to do those things, but you get used to it, and it makes you faster, so you do the same. My skill is still not good enough for Mod, but as soon as I feel that I can hang, I will.
Cost is always a factor in everytype of racing, spec or otherwise
speed=$
BTW, I would like to see races 6 minutes in stock.