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Because the posted purse almost always exceeded a guarantee,
the promoter was rooting for the bought-in hero to win the
event, thereby “covering” his guarantee. Conversely,
in a worst-case scenario, Don Garlits fails to qualify or
gets beaten early by, say, darkhorse Dick LaHaie — who
goes on to the final round, and wins. The crowd goes crazy;
the promoter pays twice: his posted purse to the guy who’s
sleeping in the duallie with Michigan plates, plus the full
guarantee to Garlits.
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While
guarantees are no longer a factor at national events (as far
as we know!), television is the 800-pound gorilla of sports
in the 21st century. This is why NHRA reversed position several
years ago, and adopted IHRA’s ladder. Television’s
influence is also why I hold out no hope whatsoever of either
organization leveling the playing field by restoring the ladder
that served us all so well for four decades. Even Goodguys
has lately followed suit, to the disappointment and detriment
of low-buck nostalgia teams.
Despite the fact that giving the few surviving independent
teams a fighting chance to advance is in the long-term interest
of the sport, losing is certainly not in the short-term interest
of high-dollar teams, their sponsors, advertisers, or sanctioning
officials trying to sell TV time.
Guess who’s gonna win that battle, every time? 
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