Kinda like Haubstadt, its the tow distance, is what I"ve been told by several teams, plus the time change, teams lose a hour heading home, it SUCKS but it is what it is

JMAC has concussion. Plus several cars that could compete decided to run Atomic or Gas City

I'd call 26 cars a good field especially considering the caliber of cars but it's Not terribly unusual for a higher paying NW race to have less cars. A number of the lesser financed cars will drive past a $2K-$10K race to go race for less.

Some fish are more comfortable in a small pond, while others are pelagic.

A lot of it depends on how it is disbursed, if it's all in the top ten, or the bigger part of it, it's a go where I'll at least get my money back, and maybe more deal, and then a lot of the time, it's the purse total, probably 75% of the drivers/owners are going to stay where they know they fit the best, not chronic wisdom, just being safe. You might spend a lot before the ends get close, where if you stay in your own field, the ends will stay closer all the time. Just a thought.