Issues with the race cars is that when you lower it you also gain some freedom to alter other suspension factors such as pickup points....effectively you can lower the car without affecting the suspension/roll geometry too much. And being a one make series a fair amount can be done as each customer car will be the same. I know fair amount is donr to teh front subframe in the new cup series, but dont know too much about the early 16S/16V cup series.
As for optimum, optimum is defined as The point at which the condition, degree, or amount of something is the most favorable. Favourable depends on teh conditions your most likely to be in....so a racecar setup will see you slower over a bumpy rd than a softer and more balanced setup.
Entirely your decision as to which you think will suit you better.
