Well, I'll start the debate with "Professional" drag racing itself. A few years back I went to the NHRA Finals time trials (the NHRA fall event in Pomona) which were the week prior to the event. John Force and company showed up with SEVEN tractor trailers for the cars they fielded. It just seemed so far over the top. You could never break into the sport without a manager raising funds today. It wasn't like that in the early days.
Back in the early 70's I was a teenager with a National Dragster subscription. I could quote the ET record for just about every class (especially the sportsman classes). It was always exciting to see INNOVATION of the home spun variety. It made going to the races enjoyable. For some time now it has all been about sponsorship. I remember days were Stock eliminators champs drove their cars to the races. Many cars were flat towed. Even the pro's had open transports. A few years back at Pomona even the lowliest Stock competitor had an enclosed trailer behind a decent motor home. I found it all rather sad. I just got tired of seeing races decided by lane choice. Qualifying for a 16 car field decided by a few thousands of a second. And especially when Pro Stock cars became Funny Cars with carburetors.
At $10,000 a track pass for the supercharged Nitro cars the sport needs to do something to curb costs. Would Turbos (and possibly restriction to alcohol) help? On the street I much like the concept of the turbo. The concept of an X-71 style blower sticking up through the hood on a street car just seems ridiculous. The superchargers that fit under a stock hood are much more appealing. Still the turbo often allows for much milder cam events and that also has a street appeal.
OK, this pushing 60 years "old fart" will step off his soapbox. I just wanted to express how sad it is that someone rarely toils late at night improving his race car anymore. Instead they are making guest appearances for the sponsor and innovation is done in a computer, fabricated "elsewhere" and simply paid for by the sponsor.