I saw so many people leaving in '08 on the day before Stakes. I'm not sure why.
There was a hurricane coming that year. I remember because we had to drive through the edge of it going home. A lot of people had damage back home and had to go ahead and leave to take care of things.
This year, going on Sunday was just too late. It's easy to ask for a whole week off. But to ask off for a week and a Monday, little harder to do. Especially if your employer only allows one person on vacation at a time.
Besides, if you haven't done well in the qualifying classes, there's no point.
The difference between "stakes" and "championship" is this: A stakes class is open to anyone who showed in a qualifying class and places through 6th or 10th (depending on Natls vs local show). A championship only takes the 1st and 2nd place horses and awards Champ and Res. If it was a local show, for a championship, a horse may have to show 3 different times right in a row.
You just can't do this with driving. Even at Nationals. Let's say your horse goes in the qualifying class and a kid runs down the stairs, spooks the horse and they break and the judges see. In the Stakes, the situation would be completely different. Driving is based on performance. Halter is based on conformation. A horse's performance could change from class to class. But their conformation will not. They're not machines, they're living creatures. They have good and bad days, just like us.
Also consider the judging system. You can have different call judges for different classes. If you get a 1st under a judge in one class that isn't a call judge, you may place 3rd. Well, if that judge is the call judge for the Stakes, it could be a completely different story. But, if you run it as a Championship, you don't have that second chance.
Plus, if you don't show back in a Championship you forfeit all winnings (points, prizes, and possibly-money). It's one thing to ask a horse to walk in the ring and stand one more time. It's completely different to ask a horse to do another driving class.