Heads up racers don't call bracket racing "drag racing" but yeah I've been around the sport for a while.
Trust me. You don't "quit" racing. It's an addiction, you can't totally quit unless you're dead (or close to dead).
Won't go into a lot detail but in the last 40 years I've been involved in some sort of racing. Slot cars to go-karts to midgets (briefly), sprints briefly, hobby stock, mini stock, then bracket racing-which is what I'm focusing on now. BUT I'll say this. With bracket racing, there aren't many late nights up working on stuff. I'm more laid back. If something's broken, it'll get fixed at some point. I quit chasing points about 10 years ago and got into fishin' more. Thought I could just quit. NOPE. Impossible. The first few weeks was tough. After that it was a little easier but I found myself "treeing" the car(s) next to me at the stop lights and drag racing tin boats against friends. The other reason....my dad and I built my car starting in about 1992 and finished it up a couple years later. I still have that car, and there's an amount of emotional attachment to the father-son project (1975 Ford Maverick). Had built several others in the time since ('78 Fairmont, '85 Mustang coupe, '64 Fairlane, '76 F100, '03 Lightning, '74 Maverick turbo), some were crashed, one burnt, the rest were just sold because a buyer wanted them more than I/we were attached to them.
Why bracket racing? Budget. And much more laid back. I have and still do run some index stuff which is a heads up bracket race in a nutshell, but I ain't doing as much as in past years. Had good sponsor in the early 2000's through about '08, decided that it was taking up too much of my time. Terminated the contract and went fishing. Still run part time. Have run 5.50 and mostly 6.0 index off the foot brake (no electronics at all other than ignition). Have to really lean on it to run 5.50. Slow by a lot of peoples' standards but with that, the stuff lasts a long time a opposed to a 4.0 car. One of my friends is into the no prep stuff and has gone 4.50 in the Mustang a few times. The amount of money they're throwing at these things to run (and compete) is ridiculous. $34K into suspension alone (magnetic shocks & all the stuff to run it similar to NHRA pro stock), not counting the engine, transmission, chassis, safety equipment, etc....and this is car #2 after having crashed #1. Every night after work he's out there fiddling with something. Valve springs every weekend. Tires every weekend. Transmission overhauls, turbo rebuild, etc etc. If he doesn't slow down, he'll never be able to pay back the loans-and he makes pretty good money (electrical engineer).