Daigo was a "Special Guest" at that tourney. Yes he practically earned that spot based on reputation alone, no one else is a bigger legend then him in the world of Street Fighter games. Daigo won to receive his bye, the same would have happened if either Iyo or Poongko had won.
Imagine if Justin has won though. He was going to get a free trip either way even if he didn't because he's sponsored by Empire Arcadia. That might have meant no Daigo at this years Evo, or Iyo/Poongko if they had finished 2nd.
But anyways, I was disappointed with the lack of Japanese this year. I mean it was SF4's big debut and the same guys that comes almost every year(Nuki, Tokido) didn't show. I hope those guys along with the other big names come next year so we can have a 5 on 5 USA vs Japan exhibition and see who dominates the top 8 in the SF4 tourney at Evo 2K10.