That '98 time is rice. That's lower than the average that I remembered at the track I go to; not even close to the record time. Don't get me wrong - that LLT is only a few tenths behind many LT1 times I remember (not the best times, but average times). It DOES put it into perspective as far as how far cars from the factory have come. These cars are so much faster than OEM cars from back in the day, stock-for-stock. I think a lot of it is due to better tires and suspension, however, the newer cars are carrying so much more, in terms of comfort, convenience, safety, and weight...
Kudos to OP for this post