Diritman, you said the magic word.......FUN. Yes indeed it was fun for me too. And everybody I know who was in it then, in my area anyway, were doing it because they enjoyed it and had fun with it. Cars could be obtained for the next thing to free. We borrowed $40 from my friends mother to buy 4 shocks, our biggest investment outside of the motor. Families came to the races, many helped on the car. Mom, dad, kids, dogs the whole thing. It was indeed a family affair. It was great entertainment for our time. Ralph Nason, who owned Unity Raceway for a couple of decades said the same thing, it was a family affair and all went to the races. He said today there are too many other things to do. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of tracks are gone, no longer able to fill the stands. Back then, as you know, it did not cost much to race at all. Those days are gone. Not sure we are better off for it.
MB