The requirement to have a competition license addresses the safety of the driver in the other lane. Also at my track you can not run quicker than 11.0 in Sportsman 1/4 bracket racing. I've also refused to make a pass when a person in the other lane can't even manage to stage a car.
I was at a race a few years back where the guy in the other lane ran his car into the wall doing the burnout! It was about a 10 second Camaro that his son was driving and winning with on Saturday. Dad decided to drive it in the Sunday race.