How did this happen?

Was at a race the other weekend and 1st and 2nd place where separated by 4 thousandths of a second through the 200' race pit.  Here are the combo's:

Truck #1
~1100hp
4.88 gear
208 transfer case
powerglide
7-7500rpm
39" bogger
34-3500lbs

Truck #2
~900HP
3.30 gear
208 transfer case
Powerglide
7-7500rpm
39" bogger
28-2900lbs

How did this happen?

Don't need as much horsepower to accelerate less weight..

Wheelspeed play a part? That 3.30 gear would really roll 'em.

Looks like wheel speed was a lot different on the two combos....about 25mph difference

Wheelspeed and 600 lb. weight difference. I'd pick #2 in a rematch.

Traction and a properly set up and tuned suspension can make a smaller hp/tq out perform a higher hp/tq truck spinning its gonads off and going nowhere. I raced many larger cid engines making more power and busted their bubbles when my truck hooked up and took off when theirs sat there spinning while they shifted till they final got to moving. By the way my best pass ever was 100' put in 2.3 seconds truck was 4200 lbs and had a 760 hp iron headed 495 cid engine on stock style suspension