I get the super cheap builds that last for a while, but they are not my cup of tea.
90 passes sounds like a lot to some possibly, but I had more than that running sportsman my first year, and I didn't make every race.
It seems many of the stories of cheap thrown together stellar performers have similar a fate, when folks are honest.
I appreciate your honesty.
At the other end of the spectrum;
Guy I know well, friend if you will, he and I used to race with nearly every weekend. He built a solid roller naturally aspirated Dart 347 back before folks started the 363 craze. All top notch machine work, top notch internals, quality heads, carb, worked over C4 and it all sits in a 79 pace car. (I'm sure I can get details if anyone really needs them) Same shop that built his motor later built mine... one of the reasons I chose that shop is because of the following...
His car has been running 10.teens @ 130mph for 13 or more years... in crappy Phoenix AZ air. It's a solid 9 second car in mine shaft that is the north-east. It's got a little more in it, but he was not shelling out the $ in safety to run 9's (chassis certs, cage certs, chute, comp license etc).
I bet over a 5 year period we probably made 6 passes per track outing, 25(or more) weeks out of the 52 weeks in a year. It's very safe to say the car has well over 1000 passes on it.
He still runs it (not as often as we used to), and the car is still dead reliable and consistent running 10.teens and bringing home the goods in the local bracket series.
Like I said, I get the super cheap builds, but I'm more of a commitment guy.
I'm not judging which way is better/worse, right/wrong... either way done well are very impressiv to me.
To each his own.