I actually see a lot of people just keep their cars in D instead of bumping the gears themselves and they net better times at the track. Not sure why, maybe they just aren't sure where to shift but it usually works better just keeping it in D.
As the stuff about HP goes, don't forget about weight. Every 100 lbs is a tenth of a second at the track. Im not sure what both cars weight though. Anyway, Ford has never been known to put out big HP and big weight, that's why I own a Mustang and not a Camaro.