I did pretty good on the first car I built just for Drag Week...I worked on it all day long every day for about 6 months (starting in December the year before), and was driving/testing it right up until that September. The car worked well, and has worked at all the DWs it's been on since (the one time it broke, we were able to get it going again in time to race the next day).

<---The second car I built just for DW was a lot more involved, and I worked on it from December until right before we loaded it on the trailer in September. I didn't work on it full time every day for the first few months, but starting in June, I did. And when I finished Drag Week with it, I didn't want to touch it for a long time. I ended up not taking it this year, took the "old" car instead. I'm just now getting the urge to get back to work on it.

So, why have I spent a couple years of my free time and well over $50k building a couple cars for this stupid race that doesn't even have a payout? I guess I'm an idiot. Fortunately, there are a few guys here who've done it, and fully understand. The rest...well, you can continue to shake your head, and believe we're just crazy. You're probably right.