The other side of that coin is that the National drivers *should* be more skilled and more able to handle a situation with a n00b better than those poor regional schmucks with no 'real racing' experience.
*should* but is not required.
when i went to a driver school for some refresher seat time, i went from signed off novice with 4 races to "National" license.
there is no requirement to have wins, top 5's, be no slower than x% off a winning time or anything. just run the required number of races per year.