howard ALSO said that it was two very experienced drivers to a non-experienced. that makes a hell of a big difference.
so knowing that we can saftely say that the corollas were at an advantage.
you can also swap in a 555 or 568 behind those 3.0s. there autos are a pain in the ass and when mine screwed up in my daytona i swapped it for a 555/525 mix.
http://www.turbododge.com