That brings us back to the main point I made in this thread. They were invited to attend the race by the Brazilians. When the Brazilians deceided to invite them they had to know that they could possibly take some of their worlds spots. They were brought to the race as special drivers just like I've seen tracks invite drivers like Drake. Knowing that a driver like Drake stood a very good chance of winning their event.
The bottom line--Americans aren't traveling all over the world looking for alternate places to qualify for the Worlds.
I wonder how many Europeans travel from country to country competing in other countries national events?