Bender, just a little piece of info for you. 1/8th racing didn't get big in the U.S. until just a few years ago and it keeps growing. Even in 2002 (when Degani won) it still was nowhere near as big as it is now.
Egos aside, there was a time when the 1/8th Worlds could've been held without the U.S. and it wouldn't have mattered. That's not the case anymore.