Well, keep in mind, you don't HAVE to be there on day one, and you'd likely get just as many runs in starting on Monday as you would on Saturday. Plus, you spend less time in line for inspection.
Granted, you miss a lot of the festivities, but are you driving 1,400 miles to race, or are you going to party?
Yeah, I know - the correct answer is
"all of the above" . . .