Windage Trays; Good Or Bad

It's all about oil control doing what the car needs to do. From the factory, the small blocks had the oil level up near the crank, and the sump was always fairly full. These engines didnt pump a ton of oil upstairs, and the valley has good drainback compared to many others. Same deal in big blocks. Factory trays simply stop the breeze from picking up any oil and the crank can move enough air to do that if the oil level is high enough. A lot of drag racers run extra oil capacity because of the wider clearances, and the larger pumps they require. Plus, the oil splashes to the rear and stay there during the run. Controling the drainback, the delivery, and the removal of the oil from the crank's windstream is crutial. You can see this in the fact that many stock eliminator guys run light oils, and very low sump amounts, so there is just enough oil at the stripe to keep the bearings alive. They suck the pan dry every run. A friend of mine who had multiple records in the 80s and 90s used to drain out 3 qts of oil when he was backing up a record, because it was a gaurantee to go faster on that second run. Road racers will use a combination of pan, scraper, trap doors, and tray, plus an accusump to make sure there is adequate oil pressure and volume regardless of the forces on the oil itself. The drag racers simply dont have enough oil where it would be a problem during the run. My own thought is the best combo for any situation is a combination of oil delivery modifications of the block passages, good clearances, added drainback provisions, and a scraper and tray, with any pan you need for the chassis.