It's no different than other areas of racing, competition or life in general. I get your point about spending countless dollars and time to get a minor achievement but if it's a hobby and they aren't going into the poor house because of it, kudos to them. Money, toys and life itself are meant to be used to the fullest. If setting small goals and breaking them makes you happy and keeps you looking forward to the weekend and your project then rock on.
Still, I can't help but think that if this was road-racing and he was talking about spending more money to shave off four seconds from a lap of Laguna Seca that he wouldn't be getting as much shit from you specifically. He deserves some grief for a few less-than-ideal choices but this whole "I don't get 10s versus 9s" approach is silly. And you keep quoting low 10s and 9s but he's not even close to that. He's got a huge distance to go.
