Hey Hawk, better late than never!
It's funny, because having been involved with costuming for figure skaters, dancers, and others, they don't hold a candle to the camaraderie that this industry has. I was driving to Chicago with a very good costuming client one day, and I started to tell her about the racing community. She was totally blown away. Her daughter competes at a ton of events, and she's never heard of loaning a competitor anything that would give them an fighting chance against you, much less becoming like family. At best, it's "friendly" acquaintances.
I've often said that racing is a selfish sport, but the amazing thing is even though that might be true, that does not mean that the people involved are selfish, quite the opposite. This is the most supportive sport I've had the privilege to be involved with.