In P/S, HP is only one part of the go fast equation. My guess is that the whole 16-car field is only separated by a few HP, top to bottom. It's more important what you do, with the HP that you have, and that involves clutch management, chassis set-up, motor tune-up, gear ratio, etc. A race car that is down on HP can actually make a good run to about 100 feet, then the lack of HP becomes apparent. Conversely, a higher HP car can make a horrible run, but still run competitive speed because they missed on the car setup. It's very easy to see this when you look at the incremental times. The lower HP car goes "down the sheet" while the higher HP car "goes up the sheet". The car that made the best run just goes "across the sheet", albeit in the top spot.
If you could dyno all the engines in P/S, at any race, you would probably find out that the one making the most HP did not win the event. Ya gotta race'em on Sunday to find out who is the quickest, fastest and most consistent....not just the most powerful.
Regards,
Pat