WOW, you boys have quite a discussion going over here.
My two cents would be to reduce the overall number of days that you need to be at the track if you want more people to show up. I know you didn't really NEED to be at the track for the paved nationals on Wednesday but it sure felt like you did when you read about it on the flyer or in forums. I live 15 minutes from Leisure Hours and race there several times a month, both offroad and onroad, and I never once considered coming to Nationals because of the time investment needed. Ken H. who also races TC at Leisure Hours lives right here as well and had the same thoughts about it as I do. We've both been racing for 20+ years and have been to some big races in the past when we could justify taking a day off work for it, but never would consider it if we had to take a week off.
Yes, it's a big race and it needs to be spread over multiple days but when you put the impression out that it's Wednesday through Sunday it's just too long for your average Joe to invest in it. If your a racer in Cali, Fla or AZ and had to commute here for the race it's nearly a week adventure rather than a long weekend.