Nice write up. But it belongs on another thread. This is the "Meaty Tire Thread!" And is for fans of fat tires.
So......
Oh... by the way. Indy cars and F1 cars was running fat tires before aero in the '60's. They was on bias ply tires, not radials. They didn't have the technology then, like we have today. Plus the rules limit on what you can do with tires too.
On dragsters. One reason the slicks grow in height when spun. Is to change tire height so that it changes the overall gear ratio. The rules limit the gear ratio to 3.09 in the rear end. So the get the speed at the end of the quarter mile the tire grows from 36" to about 45". The tires are 36x17.5-16 with about 8 different compounds. If the tire didn't grow. You wouldn't see trap speeds in the 300's.
And remember. Rules dictate on what you can do and can't do, and level the playing field.