If I remember correctly, it's about $160-$170 entry & $1000 to win + contingency.

Contingency has dropped over the years. But it can add several hundred to a couple thousand or so. Some complain about issues getting paid, but the sponsors sometimes have specific guidelines you must follow: i.e.: register a product, receipts, product may qualify for only a limited amount of years, etc. It's frustrating when you buy a product one year, then they don't relist it for the following season.

I built a K/SA Aspen wagon a few years ago, but haven't run under the index consistently enough to be competitive. I chose K/SA, the heaviest that particular combo is legal for, because it seems like there are less K/SA cars to worry about getting into a heads-up race than in I/SA or J/SA. My car has good stuff in it, but not some of the high-end, "grey area" tricks. But I still thought that it should run 3-5 tenths under the index under the best conditions. Working on a Thermoquad has also been a steep learning curve. Still working the bugs out and hope to see if I fixed the problem soon at a test & tune.

As mentioned in a previous post, it's a bracket race until you run a like-classed car. Then it's heads-up. But you still have to run the index or faster to have a chance because you can't dial slower than your class index. (Minimum performance standard.)

Even if you buy a good, fast car, you have to have the resources AND knowledge how to keep the performance level up.