The short, smart*ss answer is, It doesn't matter. Because the one with the best e.t. wins.
I don't pay much attention to trap speed because I dont' care how fast you're going in the traps if you're behind me.
With the 4.10 gears I trap 117+ with a stock motor and boltons. That's a whole lot better than my early efforts with stock gears that trapped a best of 110-111mph.
The short gears allow you to keep the engine up in it's most powerful rev range for more of the time during the race. Someone running the quarter in two or three gears spends more time climbing up to max power, as in your example. That's another way to explain the advantage of short gears.
Of course, those with a torque converter overcome that disadvantage in another way. But that's a whole other discussion.