I always regard a wing on a slot car as a negative. Quite simply I know the thing will break off at some point and then it will be a pain in the butt to glue back on to the car.
Secondly, it seems that the existence of the wing makes the application of a traction compound onto the tires almost essential. But many/most track owners hate the resultant gook on their tracks.
So what's with wing cars? Why are they so popular with many racers?
I'm so preoccupied these days with survival that I'm not as conversational as normal.
Would like to offer up my experience regarding wing cars, however.
I'd like to preface this with an observation learned through experience of being an avid racer, owning raceways, and most of all doing events with mobile tracks. People are attracted to objects that look like real cars and play with them through the excitement that is inspired from the thought of simple fun. Once they pull the trigger, that thought is replaced with an adrenalin rush powered by the speed and quick reaction of the little bullet. Wing cars offer the ultimate in the rush.
When I got back into slot cars in 1988 I raced Boxstock 15 (Wing Cars) for several years in SoCal USRA. After about two years Gil Gunderson let me run a Gp 27 at Bullett Raceway (Mark LaRue) in Bellflower, which I will never forget. He set it down on the lead on and said "punch it". I did, but lost sight of it in an instant and after what seemed a millisecond, it was already in the deadman... I then took a few quick laps trembling with adrenalin rushes,
What I've experienced from watching people casually playing with slot cars in raceways and while exhibiting with my mobile tracks is that most like to have some SIMPLE FUN. They want to go fast, but not look stupid - as in not crashing. Wing cars are best for this. I personally find it repulsive when I see someone speeding around a race course punched - but at the expense of not looking stupid, they love it! We racers find that so hard to believe, but most PLAYERS want some rather mindless thing to occupy their time. Kids love to have a car that whizzes around the track full speed while they smile, turn their back to the track, and hum mindlessly.
When I opened raceway #6 in Far East Mesa, AZ, 2002 (now Tuff Trax) I had the opinion that wing cars had contributed to the demise of raceways for various reasons. I had a wing body pinned to the wall and told people, "We will not tolerate the use of this type body!" Silly, yup! What I found after much reflection was that I was just pissed that I could no longer compete due to rapid product development (cars, parts as well as tracks) and the expense. There is so much more to the story than this, but I don't care to go into more detail here.
I now believe that, as someone coined, Wing Cars ARE the F1s of the slot car world and rightly have a place for those who can afford the time and expense of participation.
Addressing the thought that wing cars require glue, etc., Paul Pfeiffer of Alpha (Formula 2000) has proven that this is not only not needed but can work very well.
Wing Cars rule in a world of speed. Scale cars should be just that but Model Slot Cars have helped slot racing the most.